A spate of car break-ins particularly around the Ahuriri hospitality district and the more isolated Onekawa industrial area recently may be the work of one busy thief and police are again insisting owners and occupants take bags and belongings with them.
In four cases the offender has been able to get away with wallets and bags containing personal effects and credit cards.
"Don't leave valuables in the car when it is unattended," was the straightforward advice from community constable Mike Burne who covers those areas as part of his policing patch.
"We have had a lot of cars being broken into - it is reasonably common around the Ahuriri area where there are lots of people staying in hotels as well as going to bars and restaurants."
The less used streets of the industrial area had also provided some good bounty for thieves over the past month and many break-ins had a similar theme.