Burglars Given Opportunities

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31658, 19 April 1968, Page 14

Burglars Given Opportunities

The burglaries in Christchurch in February and March were crimes where the offenders had taken the opportunities the public gave them, said Detective Sergeant E. J. Stackhouse, the crime prevention officer, yesterday.

The exceptions were the few instances where safes had been rifled. In February there had been 218 burglaries. In 61 entry to the premises had not been gained; in the others property worth $56,531 was taken. The March figures showed that entry had not been gained in 52 of the 185 burglaries reported. Property loss amounted to $51,604. In 50 of the 290 burglaries in the two months where entry was gained, the fitting of a dead lock to the door would have denied access, said Detective Sergeant Stackhouse. Offenders dealt with by the C.LB. in February and March for burglaries numbered 45. In many cases the person had been responsible for more than one offence. Thefts from cars increased from 84 in February, in which goods worth $2759 were taken, to 91 in March, in which goods worth $3097 were taken. Detective Sergeant Stack-

house said that such offences would remain high as long as people left their cars unlocked. Shop-lifting and thefts from shop tills when the staffs’ attention had been elsewhere were still prevalent offences, he said. In February the offences numbered 36 when property worth $1521 was taken. In March there had been 20 offences but the property taken had been worth $2255. In the two months there had been 23 sex offences against children.