A young girl has been reunited with her beloved soft toy after the theft of her school bag from a vehicle.
Sergeant Cam Cross says the Hutt Valley Tactical Crime Unit (TCU) has been working closely with the Hutt City Council in recent weeks to identify who was behind a spate of vehicle break-ins and thefts at Percy’s Reserve, Lower Hutt. A distinctive vehicle was thought to be involved.
Earlier this week, Cam attended a vehicle break-in at the Reserve where two young sisters had their school bags stolen, containing their lunch, drink bottle and spare clothing. They were extremely upset and crying, mostly because one of the girl’s favourite soft toys - Scruffy - was also taken.
“I advised the girls that I would do my very best to locate their bags, but especially Scruffy,” says Cam.
The Tactical Crime Unit spent the day tracking the offenders' vehicle and witnessed one of the pair breaking into a vehicle in Percy’s Reserve. They stopped them nearby and a search revealed numerous items of stolen property inside their vehicle – including the girls’ bags and an unharmed Scruffy.
Cam took the soft toy and carried out a surprise door-knock at the girls’ address.
“One of the girls opened the front door with a concerned look on her face,” says Cam. “When her sister, mum and dad arrived at the door, I showed them Scruffy.
"She was overwhelmed with emotion. Her mother said her daughter hadn’t slept all night as she always slept with Scruffy and thought she’d never see it again.”
The mother was very thankful to Police for the return of Scruffy and for locating the girls’ bags.
Cam says the entire TCU team was determined to catch the offenders who were causing harm in the local community.
Hutt City Council and Police are very pleased with the catch – as are Scruffy’s family.