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Home / Sponsored Stories

Red-faced burglar caught on camera

22 Feb, 2017 11:30 PM
Photo / Supplied

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A would-be burglar in Masterton will be having second thoughts about showing his face again anytime soon.

Choosing to go on an early morning snoop, he picked a property with a recently installed Morepork outdoor security system and his escapade was captured on video. Result: the irate home-owners not only reported it to the police - they posted the entire episode on Facebook for all the world to see.

"It was creepy seeing it on the video and knowing it was our own place," says Susan Turner (not her real name) who was asleep in the house with her husband Brendon at the time. "He didn't take anything, but I don't think he'll be back. I'm sure he wouldn't be that stupid after having it all over Facebook."

The story began 18 months ago when $10,000 worth of power tools Brendon Turner uses in his building business were stolen from a shed at the rear of the house they were living in at the time.

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"It was a costly exercise and a kick in the guts. You work hard and employ people and this happens," Turner says. "We had to pay a $2,000 excess and the tools were only in the shed because the ute, where we normally kept them, had been written off in an accident. It was a double whammy.

"We didn't feel safe after that - and we never got the tools back," she says.

Because of this they decided to install security, opting for the Morepork system with an outdoor camera. Having moved in the meantime to their present home in central Masterton, they also set up a system at their workshop.

A self-install system, it uses cameras and sensors to send alerts to a homeowner's phone or tablet and allows the operator to see inside or outside their home .

Little did the Turners realise how quickly the system would be pressed into service.

"It was a Saturday morning when I got an alert on my phone to say the camera had been triggered at about 3am," Susan Turner says. "I got the fright of my life when I watched the playback, seeing this dude wandering around our porch using his cell phone to light his way. He even came right up to the front door."

Turner says although nothing was taken from their place, their next-door neighbours had a pair of sports shoes stolen the same night.

"We think it was the same person," she says, "he probably went over there as well."

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"It makes you cross. I mean people work really hard to earn money, so why don't these people go and get their own stuff rather than taking from others; our neighbours are really unhappy, they feel like they've been violated."

Turner says there were five people in their house at the time and other than her sister, nobody heard a thing. "My sister thought she heard a noise but figured it was probably a cat.

"We do feel more secure now and I especially like knowing I can peek in at what is going on at home anytime I want."

Turner says the police told her they thought the camera had captured a good enough image of the intruder's face for them to work with, although she has yet to hear whether anyone has been apprehended over the incident.

Using smart technology, the security system allows users to see into their home during the day via the Morepork app, arm and disarm the alarm remotely, check whether the doors and windows are closed and see whether the kids got home from school safely. Professional monitoring can also be arranged.

Morepork CEO Gemma Croombs says the Turner's story comes after a major New Zealand Herald investigation last year showing more than 90 per cent of burglaries in New Zealand are unsolved - with criminals getting away with 164 burglaries a day.

On top of this up to one in three New Zealanders believes the country is less safe than a year ago. The survey, held by AIG, the country's largest insurer, ranked burglary second equal behind drug dealing when Kiwis were asked about the crimes that concerned them the most (equal with assault, robbery and drink-driving).

"It is not surprising, with statistics like these, that more New Zealanders are looking for effective security systems at their homes," Coombs says.

For more information on Morepork click here.

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