Police in east Auckland have seen a massive drop in the number of vehicles being broken into and stolen from local streets.
The latest statistics for October show a 51 per cent reduction in thefts from vehicles compared to the previous month, a 40 per cent fall in thefts of vehicles, as well as a nine per cent drop in burglaries.
Counties Manukau East Police community services manager, senior sergeant Anson Lin, describes the fall in vehicle crime as “massive”.
It follows work carried out by police as part of Operation Flat Bush, which saw increased patrols in the suburb and a crackdown on vehicle crime and burglaries.
Police maintained a high visibility in key hotspots, targeting the main roads in Flat Bush, with a strong focus on repeat victims.
Lin says police are grateful for the support of the Botany Crime Watch Patrol, the Asian Council on Reducing Crime (ACRC) and the Howick Local Board during the operation.
He says some of the reduction in vehicle crime and burglary last month is down to the work carried out during Operation Flat Bush.
“We received great feedback from residents,” Lin says.
“Many of them tell us they’ve been the repeat victims of crime.
“We spent a good two to three hours on the street speaking to them, educating them about vehicle safety, and [steering wheel] locks when any of them own one of the five high-risk vehicles.
“The five most popular cars targeted were Toyota Aqua, Nissan Tida, Toyota Corolla, Mazda Demio, and Toyota Vitz.
“That’s in combination with our team’s focus on the Flat Bush area and support from our community partners so it’s a massive reduction in terms of vehicle crime.”
Lin says another key factor is that police identified a group of suspects who are allegedly responsible for such offences in Flat Bush and who are now before the courts.
Despite the falling crime stats, Lin says Counties Manukau East Police “won’t take our foot off the pedal”.
“We continue to target this area and hopefully we’ll pick up momentum leading toward summer.
“We know the days get longer and people are a little bit complacent, so we want to keep that momentum going and make sure we continue to work in that area and reduce vehicle crimes and burglary in Flat Bush.”
Police recommend that where possible motorists park their vehicle in well‐lit and busy locations and ensure all valuables are removed from it, or out of sight.
Buying and using a steering wheel lock is also useful.
People who see suspicious behaviour should phone 111 immediately.
Report information online via https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105 using ‘Update Report’, or by phone 105.
Alternatively, report information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
