Time running out to collect evidence captured on tape

An Auckland dentist is concerned police will lose valuable evidence against the person who ran up $10,000 on her stolen credit cards if they do not act soon.

More than three weeks have passed since Dr Ann Oommen laid a complaint with police, handing them the name and address of a person she suspected stole her wallet from a Papakura dental surgery on October 8.

She did not realise the wallet had been stolen until the next night. Dr Oommen went to police on October 10 and later supplied them with surveillance photos from an electronics store where a woman spent $1500 buying walkie-talkies and surveillance cameras, which she told the shop assistant were for her brother's new bar.

Her credit card statements show the cards were used at Michael Hill, Farmers, The Baby Factory and every service station from Manurewa to Papakura, about seven in total.

Dr Oommen said other merchants would not hand over their security footage and said it was likely to be erased after a month.

"There's no way there's no [other] footage. I spoke to the petrol stations and they said they held it for at least a month, but now it's coming up to a month and will all be erased and then we don't have any evidence."

Dr Oommen was yesterday given a file number and told her case was being transferred to the Papakura inquiry desk. She was not told when it might be investigated.