Motelier ready to stop thieves

Press, 1 May 1989, Page 1

Motelier ready to stop thieves

By

BARRY CLARKE

A Christchurch motelier has vowed to take the law into his own hands if he catches a burglar at his 40-unit motel. Mr Errol Smith, owner of the Airport Gateway Motor Lodge, Burnside, said break-ins at motels were reaching worrying proportions and were driving tourists away from the city. Last week, three units and a car were broken into at the Gateway. The burglar used a wrench to break the door handles, and ripped open a sunroof on the car.

“I’m angry. You own a property and someone decides that they’re going to break into it. I’ve had enough,” he said yesterday.

“Just after Christmas I confronted a burglar coming from a unit. He jumped the fence and took off. If I had had the right gear on me that bloke might have been very sore. “The next one I find will know all about it.”

Mr Smith has spent more than $lO,OOO improving security. A dog and handler patrol the motel at night. However, last week when the burglaries happened, the handler was not working.

Mr Smith said motels close to the airport were being targeted because of their heavy tourist trade.

“The thing is, the majority of tourists don’t carry much money. They’re all on credit cards,” he said. The president of the Christ church Motel Association, Mr Wallace Bennie, said many motels were not reporting burglaries because they feared a bad reputation with potential customers.

“The burglaries have escalated recently. It’s a problem with all accommodation businesses — motels, hotels,” he said.

The police have addressed the association on security measures.