Police are filing the investigation into a concerning act of vandalism that saw a rock thrown through a window at the Times Newspapers’ office in Howick.
The grey rock was thrown through the front window, facing the Central Terrace car park, overnight on May 17.
The damage was discovered when a staff member arrived for work at about 7.40am.
Shards of broken glass were left all over desks, chairs, and on the floor of the office.
Times Media managing director Reay Neben reported the incident to police and contacted Howick Glass to have the broken window replaced.
An officer from Howick Police visited the Times’ office at about 11am to take photos of the rock and inspect the damage.
The Howick Village Association was also informed of the incident.
It’s believed the rock, which appeared to have white paint on it, was brought to the scene by whoever threw it through the window, as there are no rocks of its kind in the immediate area.
Nothing similar has ever happened in the company’s history at any of its previous locations in east Auckland.
Neben received an email about the case from a sergeant based Counties Manukau East Police headquarters in Flat Bush on May 30.
It said due to the high volume of work currently awaiting investigation by the station’s teams, all matters are assessed and prioritised, taking into account various factors.
They include the nature and seriousness of the offence, whether it was committed against people or property, the likelihood of identifying an offender and of obtaining a conviction based on the available evidence, and if staff are available to undertake an investigation.
“The reporting and investigation of your matter is important to us, however on some occasions due to the factors mentioned above, we are unable to progress every enquiry within our office.
“We have tried to obtain CCTV footage from a number of venues however we have been unsuccessful in this case.
“In this instance your incident will be filed (a record kept) at the Manukau File Management Centre.
“It also means that there is a permanent record of your report and should circumstances change in the future, mean that it can be further investigated.”
Anyone who saw suspicious behaviour near the Times Newspapers’ office in Central Terrace, Howick, overnight on May 17, or who has information on the act of vandalism, can phone Howick Police on 105.
