THIEVES ACTIVE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 171, 21 July 1945, Page 6

THIEVES ACTIVE

MILFORD—TAKAPUNA SEVERAL SHOPS ENTERED A series of burglaries, thought to be the work of amateurs in search of money only, have occurred at Takapuna and Milford during the last three nights. Several shops and offices have been entered.

On Thursday night the premises of Mr. L. L. Speedy, real estate agent, and Mr. A. W. Thomas, draper, both of Milford, and Hellaby's branch butchery at Hauraki Road were broken into. It was the fourth visit within three years to Mr. Speedy's office, which was entered after a rear window had been forced. Ignoring a notice on the front of the safe, "No money or valuables in this safe—only books, the thieves turned the safe on its back and endeavoured unsuccessfully to open it with cold chisels and other tools. Before leaving they took over 200 keys of all sizes which fitted premises on the North Shore and used them in an attempt to enter other shops in Milford and Takapuna. , "They pulled the tags from the keys, some of which were later recovered in the grass near the Picturedrome Theatre," said Mr. Speedy to-day. "Now I don't know which keys are which. It is a real Chinese puzzle." Mr. Speedy said nothing was stolen from his office, which was littered with dead matches.

The Thieves Disturbed Entry was gained to Hellaby's shop and to Mr. Thomas' drapery store after smashing the front doors, but nothing was stolen. The drapery shop was left in a state of confusion, and there was a trail of burnt matches to the front door, which the thieves did not bother to close. While at work at Hutchmson Brothers' Invincible Store, The Strand, Takapuna, early, yesterday morning, the thieves were disturbed and left hurriedly without entering the shop. A neighbour was awak* ened about 3 a.m. by the sound of crashing glass, and on going to investigate discovered that a piateglass panel in the front door had been broken and that the padlock was missing. . , Other thefts in Takapuna include a sum of money from a house at the bottom of The Strand and the theft of timber and windows from a house in course of demolition in the same street. _____