Rotorua burglary victim benefits from pilot police programme

Tracey Flay was burgled but has since been helped by a trial police programme. Photo / Stephen Parker

It's been more than a week since Tracy Flay was burgled but she's still finding things missing.

Flay came home to find her house had been burgled on November 22.

"I came home about 2pm to no power. I've got one of those automatic garage doors and it wasn't opening. It turned out they had smashed the meter box and turned the power off. It wasn't until then I discovered broken glass."

The culprits had smashed a ranch slider and taken the usual things: electronics, jewellery, perfume and her son's Christmas presents.

Flay's Sunset Rd home was burgled about six years ago too.

"What's sad is you get re-victimised every time you notice something new is gone.

"I would go look for something and it would be gone. Like my son's lolly jar in the pantry," she said.

"Your stomach just sinks all over again. Last time that went on for a couple of months just noticing things gone. It still hits you the same as it did the first time you noticed you got burgled."

But there is an upside for Flay, she was eligible for the Locks, Lights and Lines of Sight pilot programme run by police.

The programme started in April this year and is being trialled in Eastern, Waikato and Bay of Plenty districts for at least a year.

The initiative sees some victims of home burglaries given security help.

Flay was given window latches, the handle and lock of the broken ranch slider was fixed and the smashed glass panel was replaced with glass five times stronger than what had been broken.

Flay is also getting an alarm installed.

"I was absolutely stoked. Even though it's something quite little I feel so much safer already."

National prevention manager Superintendent Eric Tibbott said police were seeing if the pilot programme was effective.

"The burgled property needs to be a residential dwelling and the burglary needs to have exploited an insecurity which can be remedied under the initiative," Tibbott said.

"Eligible burglary victims will be offered the free provision and installation of additional security measures to make it more difficult for their property to be burgled again."

Through the initiative police may install window stays, door chains or lock and security lights, or even remove overgrown vegetation if it blocks lines of sight around the property.

"It's part of a wider programme of work under way across the justice sector which addresses both burglary offending and victimisation."

Tibbott said while the programme wasn't being offered to all burglary victims, police still provided prevention advice to all.

"We understand that burglary is an invasive crime that is unsettling for victims."

How to deter burglars
• Lock your car and your garage.
• Keep the doors locked, even when you are at home.
• Keep your spare key in a safe place. Burglars know all the usual places.
• Generally, the more expensive the lock, the more effective it will be.
• Consider installing burglar alarms.
• Sensor lights act as a deterrent.