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An Auckland man with details of the thieves who stole a car from his company says he called police eight or nine times before they took action. Eventually another police unit took notice - and officers suspect they have cracked a major car theft ring.
In a raid on an Alfriston property on Friday, police seized five stolen cars, including a BMW, a loaded 9mm pistol and ammunition, $26,000 in cash, a ride-on mower, a quad bike and a digger, all believed to be stolen, and some drugs.
A 39-year-old Alfriston man will appear in the Manukau District Court tomorrow facing multiple charges.
The stolen BMW belonged to Turners Car Auctions but was stolen more than a year ago from Terry Saville's car compliance company in Mt Wellington. Five weeks ago a colleague of Saville's recognised the car when it turned up in a workshop.
Although the car's identification and chassis numbers had been removed and it was re-registered, a chassis number under a back seat had been missed.
Saville said he had visited or called police eight or nine times trying to get them to follow up on the stolen car.
He did not speak to a police officer and no one phoned him back. "I was given names of various police officers but when you ask for them it's like you're asking to see the bloody Pope."
Senior Sergeant Andrew Berry, the Counties Manukau East crime unit's tactical co-ordinator, told the Herald on Sunday yesterday the search and arrest were the "tip of the iceberg".
"This is something which takes a group of well-connected individuals in different parts of the automotive industry."
Sources told the Herald on Sunday that hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of high-end cars had been stolen from Mt Wellington businesses. Saville had lost 25 high-end cars in the past two years.
Berry would not comment on allegations by Saville and Lockett that the Mt Wellington police failed to act on the information.
He confirmed that his unit became aware of information about the stolen cars after being approached by Lockett.
Staff had "some way to go" to uncover what they suspected was a major ring of people who changed a stolen car into a "legitimate vehicle" and onsold it.
