Rotorua houses are being targeted by light-fingered "shoppers" but police warn there are a few simple steps residents can take now to make it to Christmas safely.
There have been 115 residential burglaries in the past six weeks and police expect that number to increase during the coming weeks as "lazy" people think it is their right to steal others' hard-earned possessions, local police say.
Neighbourhood Support, which works closely with local police and collates residential burglary figures, says the Glenholme, Hillcrest and Victoria suburbs of Rotorua have been the worst hit during the past few weeks.
Neighbourhood Support co-ordinator Bruce Quedley said that during the six weeks to December 13, there had been 115 residential burglaries in Rotorua. The week starting November 2 there were 19 burglaries, 23 the following week, 16 the next, 22 the next, 15 the week starting November 30 and 20 the week starting December 7.
"At this time of year there is definitely an increase and it's mainly opportunists," Mr Quedley said.