Crime and the community

Press, 12 January 1977, Page 12

Crime and the community

People who are prepared to buy and sell stolen goods are the people who make crime pay. Many thefts would be pointless if there were no assured market for the stolen goods. The point should be self-evident, but the number of thefts in Christchurch last year (reported elsewhere in today’s issue) suggests that many people who do not regard themselves as criminals must be prepared to buy cheaply, and not to ask too many questions, when they are given the chance. The scale of thefts affects the whole community. The costs of losses from pilfering and shoplifting are generally passed on to consumers: claims for thefts from houses and business are reflected in insurance rates. In the end. almost everyone is worse off. But the community as a" whole can ensure, finally, that crime will not pay.

The police last year caught 153 receivers of stolen property in Christchurch. If more ordinary citizens were properly concerned about honesty the number might have been higher. One of the features of the year was the success of police undercover agents who acted as decoys for those with stolen goods to sell The prospect that

a customer may be a policeman in disguise must be an extra deterrent for would-be thieves, but the police obviously need more support from people who may be offered a suspicious “ bargain

Some of the most despicable thefts are especially hard to detect and deter. Those in search of drugs, for their own use or for sale, have turned to survival equipment on small vessels and' in other places where the equipment and supplies may be vital. Some may feel compassion for addicts whose overwhelming need drives them to steal; but addicts who have not the sense to seek medical assistance for their illness deserve little sympathy. As security is improved for most lawfully kept drugs, addicts and. the sellers- who profit from the addiction of others attempt to find new sources of supply. All organisations and individuals who have stocks of drugs for lawful purposes should check their security arrangements regularly. Drug abuse, especially among youpg people, can only be controlled by cutting off the supply. Tn this task, the police and customs officers must have the co-operation of the community.