Theft victim 'solves' own crime

James McCluskey wants his property back. Photo / Herald on Sunday

When the police didn't arrest anyone for a smash-and-grab from James McCluskey's car, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

The Remuera man got the numberplate of the car that he believed the thieves fled in but said police had not done enough to recover his property.

So he tracked down the car owner and went round to bang on her door last week.

He said Kiwis could be forced to take their own vigilante action if police did not have the resources to pursue criminals.

"After all the information I've given them they are still not interested," he said. "There's no chance of getting my stuff back now."

He was losing hope of recovering $1500 worth of stolen property - a brand new iPad, a hard drive and other personal belongings in a rucksack - because car break-ins have the lowest resolution rate of any crime in New Zealand.

McCluskey, a 22-year-old logistics co-ordinator, said his car was broken into outside his Onehunga office recently at 11.45am on a Monday morning.

His co-worker saw two women smashing the car window and taking his backpack.

He noted down the licence plate number of the car they were in as it sped off.

McCluskey called the police and reported the theft immediately but also began his own detective work. He spent $2 at the post office to search the car licence register for the address of the registered owner - 17-year-old Christine Wilson of Papatoetoe.

He visited her house and spoke to her father John who gave him her cellphone number and the address where his daughter was staying that night.

McCluskey passed on the details to police.

"I called her on Tuesday night to ask for my property back," he said. "She was unco-operative, to say the least. She told me someone else was driving her car, swore at me and hung up."

The Herald on Sunday also visited Wilson at home. She told the paper she had let her friend borrow her car that day. She declined to reveal her friend's identity.

She claimed McCluskey had been harassing her. "I feel very disturbed," she said.

"He shouldn't have the right to find my house. I was shocked that he was able to get my address."

McCluskey said police had told him this week that they had still not spoken to Wilson.

"I have all but given up hope that my property will be returned," McCluskey said.

"I would have thought that an eyewitness account, car registration number description and address of the car owner would be enough for the police but apparently they are not interested."

Onehunga Constable Mary Colgan said she had received the file and it had been assigned to an investigator. "We are making the necessary inquiries," she said.

Thefts from cars had the lowest resolution rate in New Zealand last year.

Only 3.3 per cent of the 18,541 thefts from cars in Auckland were resolved in 2009. A resolved offence is when an offender is identified and dealt with - even if charges are not laid.



* 18,541 recorded thefts from cars in Auckland policing districts (2009)

* 607 total resolved offences

* Police resolution rate: 3.3 per cent