Govt failing to stop rocketing car burglaries

Out-of-control burglary from cars in some parts of the country will be a serious feature of the national crime statistics to be released shortly, says National's Law and Order spokesman Tony Ryall.

He says that, along with increasing violence and hard drug offences, car burglary is becoming another shameful and neglected feature of the Government's law and order policies.

"Street crimes like these are out of control, and the Government is doing nothing to stop it.

"Taupo police are now reportedly advising people parking their cars at tourist hot spots to leave one passenger at the car to prevent a theft.

"In many parts of the country, police are giving up responding to burglaries from cars. Over the past four years these offences have gone up at least 13%, and in Greater Auckland by 19%.

Mr Ryall says we need more police on the street to prevent this type of entry-level criminal activity.

"These crimes need to be nipped in the bud early.

"Car burglars are often the same people who are engaging in similar crimes like burgling houses.

"Catch them breaking into cars and it will stop them robbing your home. "The Government's policies are wasting precious police time.

"Instead of making police spend hours hiding in bushes ticketing people driving marginally over the limit, they should be stopping criminals ransacking cars down the road.

"It's a question of priorities and Labour's got it all wrong," says Mr Ryall.

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