BURGLARS AGAIN.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 276, 22 November 1927, Page 8

BURGLARS AGAIN.

IN SURREY CRESCENT.

VISIT FOUR PREMISES.

WORKING AT THEIR LEISURE."

ihe shops in Great North Road, near Surrey Crescent, Grey Lynn, seem to be the happy hunting ground for burglars lately. A few weeks ago the premises of Mr. McKinnev, a chemist, were entered and over £100 worth of stock removed. The burglars smashed in tlie front door on the main street.

Last night Mr. G. V Preston's grocery was again visited. As the result of previous visits from thieves, Mr. Preston, some time ago had a special burglarproof lock fitted to his front door. It certainly was burglar-proof, for it kept the thieves from gaining an entrance. In order to hide the burglar-proof lock from view, Mr. Preston had a thick sheet of iron fitted between the lock and the glass door. Although this door is right on Great South Road at its busiest part, the burglars who were there last night evidently spent some considerable time and were not afraid of being caught. It must have taken them a long while to rip a large hole in the iron sheet in order to try and open the lock. Finding it impossible to effect an entrance this way they went round to the rear and brought a jemmy Into action on the door, splintering the woodwork from top to bottom. Had it not been for three iron bars which were securely fitted inside, they would have succeeded in getting in.

Two doors away from this shop the burglars were unsuccessful in gaining entrance to the tobacconist's shop of Mr. Sharkey. They found it impossible to smash the six lever padlock on the front door.

The third place visited was only a few vards away from Mr. Sharkey's . shop. This was the hardware shop of Mr. C. Parker. No attempt was made on the shop itself, but a showcase at the front door was smashed open and a torch extracted.

At 'the Grey Lynn tramway terminus Mann and Co.'s butcher shop was broken and entered last night. It was an easy matter to tear a hole ir. the wire gauze door and open the lock. Finding nothing in the till the thieves left the shop again. They did not even bother to take away any meat or a ham for Christmas. Shopkeepers Complain.

Several shopkeepers in the vicinity complained of the lack of police protection in Grey Lynn at night time. "This is the seventh attempt during the last three years they have made on my shop," said Mr. Preston. "During that same three years the burglars have entered mv shop on four occasions and have stolen much. Once they cleaned the liop right out. And now it is time that he police cleaned up the burglars who have been so busy in this district for nonths. We have one constable in Grey Lynn to cover the large district. It is too much for him to do, especially when this epidemic is prevailing. I am so fed up with the whole thing that this time I have not even bothered to report last night's happening to tie police. Here we are in the main street which is well lighted. My shop is right on the footpath, and men can work away at their leisure on the front door without being caught," lie concluded.

Mr. Sharkey, the tobacconist, was equally annoyed about the lack of police protection as Mr. Preston. "They have been in my place more than once, too, and there have been too many burglaries around here lately. So now lam going to make a song about it until something is done by the police."