Cash hard to recover

Press, 25 May 1984, Page 4

Cash hard to recover

PA Wellington Cash and electronic gear still rank among the hardest burglary items for the police to recover. Nine per cent of cash was recovered last year and 10.9 per cent of electronic items, according to a stolen property value chart published in the “Insurance" bulletin this month. Only motor accessories and builders’ supplies ranked lower but those offences were far rarer than cash and electronic item thefts. Cash thefts were the most common offences. The police had investigated 34,421 offences valued at $9,539,000. They had recovered $861,000 of goods. Clothing thefts were the second most prevalent, with 24,416 investigated. There were 24,435 motor vehicle thefts. The stolen vehicles were valued $71,477,000 and 80 per cent valued at $57,225,000 were recovered. More than 24,000 electronic items valued at_ $19,044,000 were stolen. The most successful recovery rate was for stolen drugs. The police found 86.9 per cent of the $268,000 of

drugs reported stolen in 504 offences.

About $158,696,000 of property was stolen last vear, $33,093 more than in 1982.