NEW ZEALAND COMPUTERS STOLEN FROM COMPANY Auckland news on Stuff.co.nz - Printable

Thursday, 03 May 2007

Mum demands action

An MP, a mayor and a police commander were held accountable to victims of crime by a mother in her Mairangi Bay living room.

Sandy Maultsaid called the meeting to hear "some responsiblity taken and see some progress".

At the meeting she said the North Shore "is a shopping basket for anyone coming here to get something new".

She invited National MPs Murray McCully and Wayne Mapp, Northcote MP Jonathan Coleman, mayor George Wood, area police commander inspector Les Paterson, and Takapuna Community Board deputy chairman Andrew Williams.

Mr Mapp, Mr Wood and Mr Paterson turned up and heard how crime had affected Mr and Mrs Maultsaid, sons Jake and Kurt Bennett, friends Colin Weeks and Rod Large, and Mrs Maultsaid's brother Alister Wishart.

Mrs Maultsaid said the group represented the feelings of the majority of the North Shore who "have had enough".

Mr Weeks said in his 16 years of living in Milford he had three cars stolen from his drive, and two cars and his home broken into "with no feedback from the cops".

The latest incident happened in January when his son Kent, 16, a Westlake Boys student, had his car stolen.

Kent owned the car for two weeks after working for two months over the Christmas holidays to earn the money to buy it.

Jake Bennett, 23, had his Subaru Legacy stolen from his drive in Matipo Rd on March 5. He was told by police the car was used in a series of robberies.

"Now I can't get insurance because I'm a high risk. Why should I be penalised?" he asked.

Mr Large said his daughter's car had been broken into and $3000 in custom-built saddles stolen.

Mr Maultsaid said property was stolen from his North Shore company, including telephones and two-way radios worth $5000.

He said he knows where the stolen property is, has supplied names and addresses to police and is contemplating "unsavoury ways of getting it back".

All four men questioned the competency of the police investigation into their cases.

Mr Large questioned why officers were spending their time catching speeders on Bush Rd, Albany, when a friend had his computers stolen from a nearby company.

"Is this a good use of resources?"