Tools and whiteware have been taken in a surge of burglaries in new subdivisions in South Wairarapa. PHOTO/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
Wairarapa police are asking people to keep their eyes open and report any suspicious behaviour after several building site burglaries and other lockdown offences over the weekend.
Wairarapa Police Area Commander Inspector Scott Miller said thieves had been making the most of level-4 lockdown with workers being absent at building sites in new subdivisions with tools and whiteware among the items being taken.
“There’s been an increase in burglaries to building sites and specifically new house builds,” he said.
“Because the builders aren’t on-site we’re having thefts from tools that are left there, to new whiteware going into the houses.”
Miller said the burglary offences were mainly in the South Wairarapa area and he was now asking people close to new subdivisions to immediately let police know if they hear or notice vehicles heading that way.
“No one should be driving around after dark in areas where there’s new houses being built,” he said.
“To get to those new subdivisions people have to drive in past established houses to get to them so we’re asking people if they hear cars going toward those new subdivisions late at night to please call police.”
Police also had to turn around a flood of drivers trying to get over the hill coming from both ends at their Featherston checkpoint on Remutaka Hill Rd.
Miller said people wanting to shop in the Hutt Valley and surfers from Wellington were the main offenders.
“There’s still people trying to travel over the hill to the Hutt to shop, which we are turning around.
“We’ve had quite a few surfers coming over from Wellington so if the coastal community see anyone out at the beaches surfing please ring us and take registration numbers of cars because although we send them home at the moment, if they repeat that type of behaviour coming over then there will be enforcement done on those people.”
On a whole, Miller said Wairarapa has been well-behaved bar the burglaries and some people making several trips a day to essential services.
He said people were heading out several times a day to go to essential services for little or no purchases, which police were discouraging.
“All we’re asking that within a household that one person go out and do a decent shop and not go to an essential service like a service station five times a day for one item.
“And we don’t want four or five people going in one car to buy one item.”
