"I just love giving property back to people," says Papanui Constable Janelle McKellow.
Surrounded by large brown bags of clothes and other items, she is trying to reunite owners and property stolen in car breaks last year.
"Often the value is less than the insurance excess, so it's not worth the owner to claim, especially for young people with a large excess. However it costs them a lot to replace it," she says. "One young man left with an arm load of gear we'd returned to him and he had a great big grin."
At the end of last August a group of five males was caught during a spree of theft ex cars around the city, in particular large car parks such as at Q E 2. All have since been convicted and sentenced to between 11 and 22 months jail.
Some property has been returned but some was not even reported stolen says Janelle McKellow.
"We know over a hundred cars were broken into however in the end we only had just over 50 complaints. Whether people think it is not worth while to report an incident we don't know but it doesn't make our job easy," she says.
Property waiting to be claimed includes a photo of a young boy with Lois I love you, Malvina, on the back, a hockey stick, lots of clothing, an electric toastie maker and a food processor. Anyone who lost property from a theft ex car during 19 - 21 August 2005 can contact Constable Janelle McKellow at Papanui phone 373 1700.