Christchurch Central police are concerned about the number of burglaries occurring during the day when the occupants are still at home.
Acting Senior Sergeant Philip Dean says that there has been a notable increase over the last three weeks of people having items stolen from within their houses while they have been in a different part of the house or in the garden.
In one incident the front door had been left open for the cat while occupants were upstairs; in another a backpack was taken through an open door.
Philip Dean says that most of us put our keys and wallet down on the nearest table as we walk in at home.
"Don't leave items where they are easy to reach; remember someone can be in and out of your house without you hearing a thing," he says. "If you have a household appliance working you'll hear less and you'll be distracted. Lock doors even when you are at home to reduce yourself from becoming a victim of this type of crime."
Statistics show that about 20% of burglaries are committed while people are at home.