Burglars out to pay for P habit: police

Up to a fifth of Canterbury's burglaries could be driven by addicts trying to feed their P habit, police say.

Canterbury police superintendent Sandra Manderson said that nine of the 46 burglars the police caught last month admitted using P, or pure methamphetamine.

Burglars who said they used P admitted raiding up to 10 properties a day to feed their $150-a-day habit.

Ms Manderson said police wanted the public to work with them to slow the trend of burglaries.

"We can't do this on our own. We want people to get in behind us," Ms Manderson said.

"This meth problem will not go away in a hurry so the public has to take some responsibility."

Easy targets for burglars were tools on building sites and whiteware waiting to be installed, unlocked houses, and cars.

Ms Manderson said entire kitchens had been stolen from building sites in Christchurch.

In Canterbury over the past two weeks $200,000 worth of cars had been stolen that had keys in either the ignition or the glove box.

"These people know where to look for keys in cars, or to look under rocks for house keys," Ms Manderson said.

About 80 per cent of burglars are aged between 15 and 25.

Private detectives have reported white-collar theft from businesses by staff stealing to fund P habits.

Detective Sergeant Corrie Parnell of Christchurch City's break squad said burglary had always been used to support drug habits.

Jewellery, laptop computers, cash, leather jackets and other "easily moved" items were stolen to make easy sales and quick cash, he said.

Burglars were moving away from traditional high-crime inner-city areas to satellite towns and to lifestyle blocks, Mr Parnell said. "People out there tend to get in a comfort zone and forget [about security]."

Ms Manderson said people should be even more cautious at Christmas. "Unfortunately, some people don't go Christmas shopping in the way most of us do."

- NZPA

Herald Feature: The P epidemic