KEY POINTS:
A South African says more needs to be done to stop thieves who target tourists, or New Zealand could end up like her homeland, where criminals kill visitors for their belongings.
Karen Crusoe was in Rotorua with a friend when they returned to their car to find all their belongings had been stolen.
Ms Crusoe, 25, lost her passport, wallet, backpack and other items, and said she was dismayed by the response from local police, who told her not to hold out hope of getting her things back, or the thieves being caught.
Ms Crusoe said such an attitude spurred thieves on because they had no fear of punishment.
"If nothing gets done they will do it again, and finally they will become so brazen that, like back home in South Africa, life will mean nothing and they will kill a tourist for their belongings."
Rotorua area commander Inspector Bruce Horne said Ms Crusoe had been misinformed if she was told police did not treat such crime seriously, but he admitted that deliberate targeting of tourist vehicles was "an unfortunate reality".
Ms Crusoe, a merchandise planner who moved to Auckland on a 30-month working visa in May, was at Okere Falls, near Lake Rotoiti, last weekend when her car was broken into.
She and her friend had heeded a warning sign at the falls carpark that said "Lock it or lose it", placing their backpacks in the boot and her handbag under a seat.
The carpark is monitored by CCTV, but that did not stop the thieves, who appear to have driven up in a van, parked next to the car, and broken into it without others in the carpark noticing.
Ms Crusoe spoke to police again on Thursday, and was told the CCTV footage would be reviewed. She was again warned not to expect her belongings back.
The 25-year-old said she wanted police to be more proactive, suggesting that if officers waited at the Okere Falls carpark, they would find the same thieves operating.
Mr Horne said police were already proactive and had worked hard to significantly reduce car crime in tourist spots.
This included installing CCTV at 13 carparks in 2004, in an initiative called Operation Papawaka ("Carpark"). Between then and last year, car crime at those sites had fallen by an average 56 per cent, and the number of incidents had dropped from 398 in 2004 to 175 last year. At the most successful site, car crime had dropped 94 per cent.
Mr Horne urged Ms Crusoe to contact him if she was dissatisfied with the service she received from Rotorua police.
He said in some cases tourists could take precautions such as leaving valuables with accommodation providers, but Ms Crusoe said the focus should not be on visitors.
"Why is there not a sign warning the criminals that they will be caught? Why is fear not transferred to them, instead of on me?"
She said Okere Falls was beautiful but the experience had put her off New Zealand.
"It's not safe. The only reason you would come here is at least you wouldn't get shot, but your stuff will still get stolen."
