T.A.B. Robberies Each Year

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31586, 25 January 1968, Page 20

T.A.B. Robberies Each Year

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, Jan. 24. At least $17,854 has been stolen from Totalisator Agency Board offices in New Zealand since 1961. Since May, 1961, 23 T.A.B. offices from Auckland to Invercargill have been held up by armed men, or had their safes blown open, cut open, and jemmied open, their takings stolen right off the counter or their employees threatened. Five times the thieves have been armed, either with shotgun, pistol, or iron bar. When the manager of the Tuakau T-A.B. attempted to struggle with an armed intruder on February 22, 1965, he was shot in the stomach with a shotgun. Almost $l4OO was taken in that successful robbery. Of the 23 attempts, 12 have been unsuccessful. Most of these -were evidently clumsy efforts at safe blowing.

But the $17,854 taken in the 11 successful burglaries must fall short of the true total. Twice in 1966 and once last year the amount stolen from T.A.B. offices was not revealed by the police or board officers. The biggest T.A.B. robbery in recent years took place in Wellington on May 6, 1961, when two men, one of them brandishing an iron pipe, stole $4996 from the Tinakori Road office. Both men were subsequently caught and the major part of the stolen money recovered. On October 27 of that same year the Howick Road, Auckland, T.A.B. lost -$l5OO to thieves who removed windows to climb into the office then blow the safe open with explosives. Three unsuccessful attempts to rob T.A.B. offices at New Lynn, Oranga and Pokeno (all in the Auckland area) followed during the week-end of December 10 and 11. In each office the Intruders made futile efforts to break open the safe. On April 21, 1962, a daring thief stuck his hand under

the grill of a cashier’s window and grabbed $4OO off the counter. This robbery was at the Wellington South T.A.B. Maungaturoto’s T.A.B. safe was the next to go. Using a cutting torch to get the safe open, thieves made off with $574.60. That same night, at Wellsford, an attempt to remove a safe from the local T.A.B. office failed. The final assault on a T.A.B. office in 1961 came on the night of December 16. when detectives on the lookout for safe crackers, surprised two men inside the Otahuhu, Auckland office. One man was caught and the other jumped out a window and escaped. In a short struggle with the men one detective accidentally discharged his pistol. The first T.A.B. entry in 1962 was a failure on January 8. A handle fell off the Rakaia office safe and put an end to an attempt to open it. On September 12, 1962, an I unsuccessful attempt was made at the North Invercargill office.

Further incidents were at Haupai, Auckland, in October 1963, at Taupo in August, 1964, and Tuakau in February 1965, Three robberies were made in 1966. These were at Dargaville in April, Opunake in June, and Martinborough in September. A successful entry was made at Woodville in January, 1967, hut three other attempts to rob T.A.B. offices in that year failed. They were at Kingsland, Auckland, in January, Paraparaumu in April; and Ponsonby, Auckland, in December. Two incidents have been reported this year. On January 21 between $3OOO and $5OOO was taken when two men, one of them armed, tied up employees at the Mission Bay, Auckland, T.A.B. The police are still looking for the thieves. Two days later an unsuccessful attempt was made to blow open the safe at the Woodville office. This was the second burglary of that office in a year and the third in the [last five years.