Police who disrupted a major theft and burglary ring in Wellington have catalogued more than 3000 stolen items. Video / Supplied
Thousands of stolen items have been recovered in a police operation where a major theft and burglary ring was disrupted by police in Wellington last month.
Police found 285 bicycles, 950 power tools, 695 pieces of tapware and mixes, two baths and a whole lot of construction gear.
They are now seeking owners of these goods.
A police spokesperson said Operation Trump Card had uncovered a huge cache of stolen property – which was seized from residential properties and 15 commercial storage units.
“The disruption of this significant property ring will see Wellington residents reunited with hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of goods.”
Operation Trump Card: Police who disrupted a major theft and burglary ring in Wellington last month have catalogued more than 3000 stolen items – from bicycles to bathtaps – in the hope of reuniting them with their owners. Photo / Supplied
Wellington District Criminal Investigations Manager Detective Inspector John van den Heuvel said staff had never before encountered a stolen goods ring of this scale.
“Police continue to put an enormous amount of work into unravelling this ring and holding those involved accountable.
“We have such an eclectic range of items that we now need to give back to the people of Wellington.
“We have identified the property as having been stolen from as far away as Kapiti Coast and the Wairarapa, dating back as far as two years.”
The inventory made an impressive list given every item was dishonestly obtained, van den Heuvel said.
“285 bikes, 2 baths, 950 power tools, 10 generators, 8 concrete cutters, 10 infinity gas heaters, 695 new and packaged tapware and mixes, 46 Fujitsu heat pumps, 33 laptops, 8 computers, 132 household appliances/whiteware, 27 e-scooters and many, many more.”
Two men and one woman had been charged with dishonesty offences and were next due to appear in Wellington District Court on February 24, 2023.
“Further arrests and charges are likely,” van den Heuvel said.
“Wellington Police now have the onerous but happy task of trying to match up stolen items with rightful owners.
“Being in a position to finally return goods to people who had to go through the anguish of having their property stolen is a real privilege for police.”
van den Heuvel said the success of the operation spoke to the hard work and determination of staff, and “we look forward to continuing to work with the community to prevent and disrupt this type of crime occurring in Wellington”.
“Being in a position to finally return goods to people who had to go through the anguish of having their property stolen is a real privilege for police”. Photo / Supplied
The scale of the property recovered was representative of the huge amount of people that had been affected by the actions of those facing charges.
“Our number one priority now is to work with victims and return their property to them,” van den Heuvel said.
“The sheer volume of items has taken a long time for staff to catalogue, process as evidence, and prepare for the community to reclaim their property.”
Police had already matched a lot of the stolen property to owners that reported the theft at the time their property was taken.
Anyone that has had property stolen but had not reported the theft, was encouraged to do so, and provide a description of their item.
Reports can be made by filling out a 105 report online quoting Operation Trump Card.
Police would contact individuals with the next steps once the property was matched with their rightful owners.
