Letter: Thieves steal more than property

Tiki Tavern, Tikipunga, after an attempted aggravated robbery where patrons stepped in to disarm a man with a shotgun. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Another robbery at Takahue over the weekend. Just a chainsaw and an extension saw taken. Ho hum. Nothing significant then.

Except that the victim has been targeted three times in the last few years — car stolen, car stolen and kidnapped (and beaten at gunpoint), and now this.

The tools were taken from under his grandparents' house while they slept, like the other tool user in his nearby sleepout, not very peacefully.

This time the police will get right on to it, right? Oh no. They couldn't even be bothered to visit the residence. It seems they've got too much important stuff to deal with. Terrorism, is it?

In some states a home-owner has the right to defend his property with lethal force. Here in New Zealand we believe that life is much more precious than a few possessions. There's little deterrent to thieves helping themselves to helpless victims' property.

But what robbers remove is much more important than property. They take the victim's peace of mind, as those of us who have been robbed will know too well. How do we put a price on peace of mind? Shouldn't we be able to feel safe in our own homes?

Maybe it's like Nobel laureate Bob sang: 'The cops don't need you and man they expect the same.' But it's hard to get our police interested when even our esteemed local paper jokingly describes a burglary as 'Lateral thinking' (May 7).

Can we take a serious problem seriously — before vigilantism rears its ugly head?

BLEATING LOCAL

RD1 Kaitaia