Victims of copper thieves are being told to switch to cheaper housing materials.
Theft of metal items from properties is netting crooks millions of dollars a year, says Inspector Gary Davey.
He suggests victims should replace stolen copper piping and guttering with plastic or coloured metal equivalents because "if people replace like with like, the same thing could easily happen again".
One woman had $600 of copper fixtures stripped from her townhouse while it was being renovated.
As the price of metals has risen, Kiwi thieves have also stripped railway lines, graveyards, churches, community facilities and manhole covers to sell to scrap recyclers. Copper can fetch $8.20 a kilo.
