Lee's anti-crime credentials almost tested by campaign trail near-miss

Zlatko Vuletic (L) regales Melissa Lee with the story of the burglary of his Mt Albert pizza shop Photo / Paul Estcourt

National's Melissa Lee met a victim of crime on the campaign trail in Mt Albert yesterday and she narrowly missed the alleged offender.

Wearing a fashionable battle fatigue jacket she was warmly greeted by Zlatko Vuletic of the Baker Boy Pizza and Pasta shop at the Mt Albert shops.

The glass door to his shop was smashed a couple of weeks ago as he was sleeping upstairs, and the offender tried to make off with the till takings of $90.

The offender was caught and was due in court yesterday, Mr Vuletic told the Herald.

But the offender had been back in recent days and threatened to "bomb" the shop and had behaved as though he were on P.

As Ms Lee progressed up the street calling into other premises in the Mt Albert shops Mr Vuletic, talking to the Herald, spotted the alleged offender walking down the street towards the candidate and his shop.

The alleged offender beat a retreat before Ms Lee had a chance to offer him a leaflet. The squad of minders around her and the television cameras in tow may have put him off.

But once they were a safe distance away, the alleged offender returned to Mr Vuletic's shop.

Mr Vuletic said he had told him he was on his way to court and that he would not see him for about three years. Mr Vuletic had told him to keep his distance.

Ms Lee began her byelection campaign claiming that crime was a big issue in the electorate.

Then her suggestion at a candidates meeting that "criminals" from South Auckland would bypass Mt Albert on the proposed new motorway rather wiped crime from the public agenda and replaced it with issues of racism and stereotyping.

Ms Lee said yesterday she still believed it was a big issue. She said she met a family last week that had had a Molotov cocktail thrown in their home window "and they were frightened for their lives".

She did not think that incident was gang related, but it was more to do with "teenage thugs".

As Ms Lee gave an interview on the footpath, a woman in a Holden station wagon stopped at the lights yells out across the road "Racist! Racist!"

The response is not all bad for Ms Lee. The Act van broadcasting "Vote for John Boscawen" message gives her a loud toot.

And she gets a hug from a complete stranger, Katie Mason, after handing her a National Party leaflet. Why?

"I worked with so many Asians in the supermarket," she said, "and they always made me feel part of them".

Ms Lee said she did not believe in polls. The only one that mattered was on Saturday and whatever the result, she was very keen to stand in Mt Albert next election.