$50,000 cameras to beat burglars

Lin Ferguson | 15th March 2010

Waimarino's young criminal fraternity should stop ripping off tourists and making  life a misery for the community.

That is the view of tourist operator Don Beale, who says he has had enough.

Under the umbrella of Ohakune 2000 he is raising funds for a $50,000 CCTV system in the central tourist town.

Mr Beale told the Wanganui Chronicle he  was raising the money  from local business houses.

Rangitikei District Council was also contributing, he said.

The aim was to get the system  running by the start of the ski season in mid-June.

Ohakune and Raetihi had been in the grip of a burglary epidemic since December, which had started to ease off only in the past two weeks, Mr Beale said.

The towns had clocked up burglaries of more than 50 houses as well as Ohakune's Rendezvous Dairy.

Detective Graham Parsons said  most of the houses targeted had initially been holiday homes but now the trend had turned to residential houses and businesses.

Over the past three weeks police had managed to get a DNA hit from  blood found at one of the properties, as well as finding  stolen items stashed behind a local house.

Stephen Hoani Brown, 39, of Ohakune was sentenced to four years and four months' jail by Judge Alisdair Garland in Ohakune District Court  on Thursday.

The charges were three of drink/driving, one of burglary, one of possessing cannabis, and one of theft from a motor vehicle.

Sergeant Mike Craig said police were also following a number of leads, relating mostly to locals aged in their early 20s.

"We are waiting for the results of some forensic tests, including fingerprints. We're pretty sure who we're looking for - we're aware of who the offenders, and we know they are locals."

One  victim, Raetihi builder Peter Kearney, had been cleaned out twice in six weeks.

He said he travelled to jobs out of town for a few days at a time and that was when the thieves had broken in.

"The first time, they took everything from my socks to fishing gear, jackets, and cleaned out my freezer and took my hunting gun," he said.

"The second time, I reckon they came back to get stuff they missed the first time."

This was the time of year, though, when burglaries escalated in the tourist towns, Mr Kearney said.

"Holiday home owners are not usually here until Easter now, so it's pretty quiet around here."

Mr Kearney said he was totally fed up with the whole scene.

Mr Beale and  Mr Craig both believe the CCTV system, which has 50 cameras, will make a huge difference to the town.