Two boys arrested over burglary of victim's home

By JAMES GARDINER

Two boys have been arrested over the "despicable" burglary of a flood victim's home.

The pair, aged 15 and 16, will be dealt with by the Youth Court, so they will not be publicly identified, Sergeant Chris Whitmore said yesterday.

Feilding resident Ros Davies, who was evacuated from her home on Monday, was appalled to find it had been broken into and her ransacked during her absence.

Prime Minister Helen Clark, who visited the flood-ravaged parts of the lower North Island, described the crime as despicable.

Mrs Davies said her precious gold watch had been returned badly damaged, her camera was in pieces, and one of the dozen bottles of wine stolen had been returned - empty.

Mr Whitmore said the burglary was the only one reported in Feilding since the floods, and crime generally was well down this week.

Police had taken steps to protect empty homes, but people had to be vigilant.