Please attribute to Community Constable Flora Nielsen:
Upper Hutt Police are reminding residents to report suspicious activity as soon as they see something untoward following delays with some recent burglary reports.
A burglary attempt was recently foiled when a neighbour spotted a man in the process of entering a property at an Elderslea address. The suspicious man had been seen walking up a driveway and, knowing the homeowners were away for the evening, the neighbour went to have a look. He disturbed the man climbing in the window and the offender ran away.
Thankfully, this burglary was stopped but, by the neighbour not reporting the behaviour immediately, it’s likely the offender went on to commit another crime. The neighbour contacted the homeowners on the same day but Police were not made aware of the incident until the following day.
Unfortunately, this makes the issue significantly more difficult to investigate as evidence and witnesses are harder to find as time passes.
This offender was not located.
By reporting behaviour such as this immediately, you may help prevent a crime from occurring and save someone from becoming a victim.
Residents are also reminded to be vigilant about home safety to assist in prevention efforts. Often, burglars will be opportunistic and choose easy targets, such as homes with open windows or unlocked doors.
Any reports of concerning behaviour in your area should be made to Wellington Police on 04 381 2000.
If you witness suspicious activity occurring or suspect a crime is being committed, call 111 immediately.
Police advise the following to help keep your property safe:
• Always lock up. Burglars often enter through unlocked doors and windows or they take advantage of weak locks.
• Lock the front door if you’re in the back garden or doing something that needs a lot of concentration, such as studying or sewing.
• Lock away tools and ladders because burglars could use them to break in.
• Lock garden sheds and your garage if you can.
• Sensor lights are an excellent security device because they light up automatically if somebody moves nearby.
• Keep trees and shrubs trimmed so they don’t provide hiding places for burglars.
• Guard your keys. Don’t have personal details on your keys (such as your name, phone number or address). Don’t leave house keys with your car keys when your car is being serviced.
• Never leave notes on a door stating that you are out.
• When you go away, make sure your home looks ‘lived in’.
Further advice to keep your property safe can be found here: http://www.police.govt.nz/advice/personal-community/protect-property-veh...
Follow the New Zealand Police Home Safety checklist to see if your home is secure https://forms.police.govt.nz/forms/home-safety-checklist
ENDS
Police Media Centre