The benefits of ensuring the public have multiple avenues to report crime came to the fore yesterday with Police further reinforcing the link between dishonesty offending and drugs in a search of a Hamilton home.
Detective Sergeant Carl Moon of the Hamilton CIB said thanks to concerns raised by the public with the anonymous and independent Crimestoppers, officers were able to gather sufficient evidence to obtain a search warrant for a Kakanui Ave home.
"Our search recovered evidence of significant methamphetamine dealing and the receiving of stolen property for a period of at least two years indicating dishonesty offenders had been 'paying' for methamphetamine with stolen property."
Mr Moon said the extensive search located no indications that methamphetamine had been manufactured at the property.
"Items recovered at the address included $5,000 in cash, an Avanti mountain bike, a black 'Metal Mulisha' marked Motocross motorbike, a large LCD television, power tools, laptop computers, DJ equipment, professional music mixing electronics and an imitation pistol.
"A significant challenge we now face is trying to marry up recovered items with property reported stolen. Fortunately for us the owner of the Avanti bike provided Police with the serial number when burgled in June but this ease of identification is not the case for the majority of these items."
Mr Moon said one way property owners can protect themselves and assist Police and is by storing serial numbers and images of valuables on the Operation SNAP (www.snap.org.nz) database.
"By having serial numbers to provide to Police it considerably reduces the time investigators are forced to spend on establishing items recovered are stolen and greatly assists us in holding offenders to account before the courts.
"The 35-year-old man living at the Kakanui Ave address was charged with a variety of drug dealing and property related offences and our case against him has been made all the stronger by members of the public advising us of their concerns, in this case via Crimestoppers."
Mr Moon said with Crimestoppers ensuring caller anonymity, the creation of Police Facebook sites, Neighbourhood Policing Teams being resident in communities, the recent centralisation of phone numbers and the introduction of the Crime Reporting Line, the public was rich in options on how to contact Police.
"The key thing is, if you see, hear or know of offending then do something. If it is happening right now ring 111. If you want to speak to us about a matter phone us, your call will be treated in confidence.
"Or, for what ever reason, you aren't in a position to speak to Police directly, leave information anonymously with Crimestoppers on 0800 555111."
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