Car thefts, burglaries continue in the west

Burglars and car thieves are still plaguing the western suburbs.

There were 12 houses broken into from Tuesday to Thursday last week in Hornby, Sockburn and Wigram, where electrical items and jewellery were taken during the day. Three burglaries were also reported in Riccarton.

There have been 34 cars broken into over the last month - 17 near Hagley Park and Canterbury University, 12 in the Riccarton West area (on Matipo St, Wharenui Rd, Blenheim Rd and Riccarton Rd), and seven near Westfield Riccarton.

Riccarton-West Neighbourhood Policing Team Sergeant Steve Jones said thieves were targeting random cars parked on the roadside during the day and at night.

Two non-expensive coats were left in the back seat of a car and taken after the vehicle was "rummaged through''.

"They are targeting valuable items like iPods, GPS systems, wallets and laptops. If they don't find anything, they will rummage around and look through everything to try and find money. They even take a few coins if they are there.

"Sometimes they have smashed a window or tampered with the car door lock to get in. Keep valuable items out of sight. Make sure cars are parked in the garage or the driveway. People can also put up security lights which will turn on if people walk up your driveway.

"Try taking everything out of the glovebox and leaving it open to show there is nothing in there. That's often the first place thieves will look,'' he said.

Sergeant Jones urged residents, especially university students who had just moved into the area, to keep their laptops and valuable items out of sight, their windows closed and doors locked.