Chch car thefts leap
Increasing car thefts in Christchurch have caused the police to add four more detectives to the usual 10 in the car squad. After declining during the' summer, car thefts have risen again to what the head of the car squad, Detective Sergeant Peter Gardiner,
has called “epidemic proportions.” More than 200 vehicles have been taken already this month. Thirty-five of them are still missing. “It is not just joy-drivers taking them. These cars are being demolished for parts,” Detective Sergeant Gardiner said yesterday.
In one case last week, a valuable custom Holden Monaro was stolen from near the Christchurch Polytechnic. The police found it within 48 hours but already it had been cut up for its engine, door panels, and wheels. In other cases thieves
were taking cars, giving them new registration plates, having them repainted, and then quickly selling them. “One problem is that it has become nearly acceptable in the public eye," said Detective Sergeant Gardiner. “It is not looked on in a serious light.”
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Press, 19 July 1983, Page 1
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171Chch car thefts leap Press, 19 July 1983, Page 1
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