Waikato Police successfully target burglary offending

Waikato Police are pleased with the early results of an operation focused on burglary offending.

The Waikato operation is part of a nationwide NZ Police focus on targeting offenders who commit burglaries and resolving these crimes, which cause great distress in our communities.

“In the last three weeks we have put 34 offenders before the courts for burglary and related offending,” says Detective Inspector Chris Page, the district’s manager for Criminal Investigations.

A further 54 people have been put before the courts on outstanding arrest warrants.

“Some offenders faced multiple charges - for example, three offenders from outside the district have been charged in relation to 25 offences, and three separate offenders are charged with 12, seven and seven burglaries respectively,” says Mr Page.

“This operation has led to a decrease in burglary offending over the last three weeks, but we are far from finished. In fact, this is really only the start of a lengthy and focused operation.”

Mr Page says a number of offences were committed because cars and houses were unlocked.

“While Police caught 10 burglars ‘on the job’, this is a very low percentage of the total number of burglaries across Waikato district. There are several easy steps you can take to stop burglars in their tracks: lock your house and car, install security measures if you can, keep an eye out for your neighbours, report suspicious activity immediately, and record the serial numbers of your possessions."

Police would also ask anyone who has information about burglaries in their community to contact Police, either by calling their local police station, or providing information anonymously via Crimestoppers.

“These offenders wreck people’s homes and lives. When we look out for each other and connect in our communities, we make everything harder for them.”

ENDS

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