Eagle-eye view of burglaries

Former police helicopter pilot Tim Briggs says the number of burglaries is "mind-boggling". Photo / Supplied via Tim Briggs

This week the Herald will investigate burglaries across the country in the most in-depth series on the subject ever done in New Zealand. Over five days we will examine where burglaries happen, talk to victims, burglars and the police and find out how you can protect your home and business. In part three we map a burglary investigation and look how it only takes seconds to steal a person’s possessions.

• BURGLARY SERIES - OVERVIEW

Tim Briggs spent eight years as a police helicopter pilot and he saw plenty of burglaries unfold beneath him.

"Burglaries are a daily thing for the Eagle crew and the helicopter is called to thousands of burglaries each year.

"The Eagle orbits and scans every inch of every property with night vision equipment in the vicinity of a burglary.

"When Delta [dog squads] arrives at a burglary scene and starts talking to Eagle, things really start to happen.

"House alarms go off, car alarms sound, motion sensor lighting is activated, it's all going off as the offenders make their way through properties trying to avoid the camera in the helicopter and the dogs' noses.

"Sometimes we would track for over an hour and travel distances of roughly 4-5km and successfully capture burglars running on foot.

"There are a lot more burglaries than most people think, mind boggling in fact.

"My advice is to up your security and make it as hard as possible for burglars to get into your property."