Early morning mischief makers
More than 50 reports of dishonesty crimes have been reported in the past month throughout central Blenheim. Photo: Pixabay/TheDigitalWay.
Police have had over 50 reports of dishonesty offending throughout an area of central Blenheim over the last month targeting high-value belongings.
A series of early-hours tool and property thefts from within residential properties and from parked motor vehicles have been reported, while several motor vehicles have been stolen. These reports have come from the area of Fulton Street to the North, by Dillon Street to the South, Colemans Road to the West and Grove Road to the East.
“In terms of theft, the offenders seem to be operating in the small hours of the morning, and they target anything of value that is easily carried”, said Police Community Constable Russ Smith.
“They are entering unlocked motor vehicles to steal property, but they are also smashing vehicle windows when they see anything of value in a locked vehicle - stolen items have included laptop computers, purses, wallets, tools, jewellery and even cash left in plain view.
Russ is also encouraging victims of these crimes to immediately report the matter, and provide any CCTV footage people believe are of the early morning thieves.
“We are aware that people are using social media to advise that they have been the victims of these property thieves, however this does not help the police investigation unless they have also reported the matter to police.
“Reporting helps police establish patterns and provides information that helps identify stolen goods when police find these items in the course of their investigations.”
Integrity Security locksmith Darren Smith echoes Russ’s advice and says little changes can make a big difference to the safety of people’s property.
“Whether at home, in vehicles, and increasingly with sheds and garages as there’s less likelihood of waking residents there, many of these burglaries target items that are easily carried and easily sold.
“There’s cost-effective and comprehensive security management options for these, and for extra peace of mind we do free security assessments for properties.”