Guardians keep houses safe

House guardians emptying mailboxes and keeping a watchful eye have brought a huge drop in crime and vandalism of vacant houses in Manurewa.

An initiative between police and Housing New Zealand was launched last July in a bid to reduce the damage caused to vacant houses waiting to be assigned to tenants.

Up to 60 residents around the Manurewa region are involved in the house guardians scheme, emptying mailboxes, keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity and reporting to police.

Senior Sergeant Neil Fisher of Manurewa says up to 40 per cent of vacant houses in the area had been vandalised last July. That figure dropped to 6 per cent in November.

"We get people stealing copper systems, water systems - like taps - and young people breaking into the houses and tagging inside. All that's been reduced, it's great."

The pilot programme between police and Housing New Zealand is said to be the first in the country.

Guardians are assigned a vacant property on a street near their house and given duties, such as emptying the mailbox each day and keeping the property looking lived-in.

They also take down descriptions of anyone seen loitering around the premises, recording car registrations and passing them on to their Housing New Zealand tenant manager.

The drop in the number of houses being vandalised means the cost of repairing them - once around $52,000 - has also dropped to around $1000. Mr Fisher said there were plans to expand the programme into the wider community.