More Care Could Reduce Crime

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31111, 14 July 1966, Page 5

More Care Could Reduce Crime

If the rise in crime in New Zealand was to be halted people must become more securityconscious, the crime prevention officer of the Christchurch C. 1.8. (Detective-Sergeant E. J. Stackhouse) told members of the Christchurch branch of the Insurance Institute of New Zealand at a luncheon meeting yesterday.

Too often the police went to a shop which had been burgled to find the owner had a "couldn’t care less” attitude, he said. The owner would Shrug and say “I’m insured." Crime today was facilitated by the mobility of the criminal: an Australian criminal could fly from Australia to New Zealand on a Friday, steal £7OOO from an Auckland food market, and be back in Australia before the theft was discovered on Monday morning. Another example of the degree to which crime was increasing in scale had occurred in the North Island: criminals had converted a utility vehicle, strapped a telegraph pole to the side, and driven into a trustee savings bank. A few years ago this would have been regarded as “Chicago stuff” and unlikely to happen in New Zealand. Burglaries In City Since January 1 insurance ompanies in Christchurch had paid out more than £26,000 for property stolen in burglaries, and this took no account of the cost of damage that had been done. During this period there had been 678 burglaries in the city. Much property was stolen because owners had not bothered about security. They bad been careless, thoughtless and far too trusting. About 50 unsecured buildings were found in Christchurch each month, and every time constables had to check the buildings to make sure criminals had not taken advantage of the opportunities provided for them.

The crime prevention branch was trying to encourage property owners to install “deari-locfcs” on their doors: a type of lock which had no handle and had to be locked with a key. This type of lock also prevented a burglar from breaking the glass in a door, and reaching in to open the lock. Locks were only as secure as the screws holding them, and it was vital that they be correctly installed, Detective-Sergeant Stackhouse said.

The police were also encouraging the lighting of yards at night, and the fitting of bars

to skylights and windows. The use of modem thief-proof safes was also vital. Too often firms replaced their machinery with modem equipment but continued to use a safe 60 or 70 years old. Such safes were not burglar-proof. Similarly there were plenty of efficient alarm systems on the market for installation on safes and doors and windows. Alarms did not give the police quite such a good chance to catch offenders, but they did protect property. Mr Stackhouse also said that too many shops had oldfashioned grilles over their windows; grilles that were no longer effective and could easily be pulled off their mountings. He felt insurance companies could help with crime prevention by surveying properties more carefully, pointing out poor security to the owners and also by emphasising the reduction in premiums possible for firms fitting alarms.