WAVE OF CRIME IN AUCKLAND

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5301, 14 January 1947, Page 6

WAVE OF CRIME IN AUCKLAND

( Press Assn.—

MANY ROBBERIES PREMISES DARINGLY RANSACKED

-By Telegraph — Copyright.)

AUCKLAND, Last Night. The crime wave in Auckland appears to be at its height and burglars and thieves are nightly becoming more daring. The latest offences include the smashing with a traffic parking sign of two plate-glass windows in Wyndham Street, a few yards from Queen Street, at 2 o'clock yesterday morning, the blowing of a safe in Eden Terrace, the theft of property valued at £225 from a liome in Onehunga at mid-night on Friday, and the breaking and entering of a lingerie shop in Queen Street, where a cash box containing £3 was taken. Thieves also broke into premises in Karangahape Road, but nothing was stolen. Parking Sign as Jemmy In a building owned by the Ring Proprietary Company, 16 and 18 Wyndham Street, thieves early yesterday morning smashed their way into two premises, those of the Ring Proprietary Company and the Para- ; mount Pressing and Cleaning Company. The Paramount Company's j shop is at the entrance to the building. A steel parking sign taken from the street was used to smash the plate-glass window, the thief stepping through the gaping hole he had made. However, nothing was i'ound to be stolen. The sign was again urcd to smash plate-glass panels in the door leading to the Ring Proprietary's premises on the ground I and first floors. Nothing was taken. I When a civilian was walking up Queen Street at 2 a.m. yesterday he heard the sounds of smashing glass. He ran up Wyndham Street and saw a man run from the entrance of the Ring Company's building. The man was chased by the civilian, who lost sight of him after he went into Albert Street. The civilian returned to Queen Street and reported the incident to a constable.

Home Ransacked Returning from a holiday at Coromandel on Saturday afternoon, Mr. I and Mrs. T. W. Harriman, of 279 Mount Smart Road, Onehunga, found that in their absence thieves had entered and ransacked their home and made off with property valued at £225. Entrance was gained by smashing a glass panel in the front door near the lock. Thieves almost cleaned out the home and left every room in a state of disorder. They even stole the blankets and sheets from the beds. The missing goods include silverware, crystal, china crockery, fancy spoons, all Mr. Harriman's clothing left in the wardrobe. "The burglars even took my electric 'iron, electric toaster and my wringer, all of which are extremely hard to replace at present," said Mrs. Harriman. It appears that the burglary was carried out on Friday night, for at 11.45 p.m. a neighbour heard sounds oi" talking and walking coming from | the Harriman home. No investigation [ was made at the time as it was i thought Mr. and Mrs. Harriman had ! returned from their holiday. After climbing on to the roof of | the Motor Supply Company's premises in Eden Terrace last niglit, thieves kicked in a skylight and dropped to the office below. A charge of geiignite was packed into the keyliole of the safe and exploded, but this jammed the locking mechanism and the door could "not be opened. Before leaving the safebreakers took £2 in petty cash from the office.