Police say Raglan's response to burglaries lesson for larger communities

Waikato Police say the response by the community to a spate of burglaries in a small coastal town may prove a solution to dishonesty offending in larger population centres if recent successes are anything to go by.

Constable Dean McMillan of the Raglan Police said officers had been buoyed by the level of support shown to them following the break-ins in Raglan over the past three weeks.

"In all we've had about 15 burglaries which in a town of this size is pretty demoralising.

"But what has been a real tonic is the extent the public have gone to ensure Police know about what is going on and who is responsible."

Mr McMillan said not only had residents been informing Police about when and where burglaries were occurring, in a number of cases the public were bringing in items they had been sold and telling officers where and from who they bought them from.

"This type of information is critical to a successful Police inquiry. This information confirmed other data Police had been working on and on Friday things came to a head with the arrest of two juvenile males aged 15 and 16-years-old and a man aged 19.

"With the interviews conducted so far the trio have admitted to their involvement in eight of the 15 burglaries so far and enquiries are continuing with further arrests anticipated."

Mr McMillan said the great thing about living in such a close knit community as Raglan was that often locals knew more about what was going on than those involved did.

"It just goes to show the importance of not assuming Police already know about crimes that have been committed. By the timely, accurate relaying of information local Raglan residents played a major part in successfully resolving a serious burglary problem in their town.

"Their willingness to look out for one another and speak out could be a lesson for other, bigger communities that by taking ownership of your neighbourhood you can make a difference."

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