One hundred new signs will warn residents to ‘‘lock it or lose it'' in an area of North Dunedin recently hit by several burglaries.
Senior Constable Brendan Thomson said in the past month there had been four thefts from vehicles in the area of North Dunedin surrounding the University of Otago precinct: three were from Dundas St and one from Union St.
In the past month, house burglaries had occurred in Castle, Cumberland, Forth and Hyde streets, Snr Const Thomson said.
Signs warning residents to ‘‘remove your valuables'', ‘‘lock your car'' and ‘‘take your keys'' would be put up in the affected areas by the Dunedin City Council.
Otago Neighbourhood Support Charitable Trust chairwoman Lois Scott said the signs initiative came about as a result of discussions between Campus Watch, Otago Neighbourhood Support and the police.
Campus Watch team leader Paddy Stewart said the signs, combined with other forms of communication, would help spread the message to protect valuables.
‘‘From our perspective it's an education process,'' Mr Stewart said. ‘‘The signs are a reminder and if we continue with our door knocks that information will gradually get through.''
Students sometimes received an information overload and the simple, direct approach of the signs was likely to have a better result than other methods such as pamphlet drops, Mr Stewart said.
Mrs Scott had a simple message for those who took a relaxed approach to security.
‘‘If you leave your flat open, your goods are going to get nicked.''Snr Const Thomson said people needed to take a bit of ownership concerning safety and security.
Easy steps could be taken to improve security, he said.
‘‘It takes minutes to zip outside and check if you've locked your vehicle or not.''
He said it was also important that people took time to get to know their neighbours, so they could readily spot people who should not be in the area.
‘‘It's important that they do know who's around them and who's on their street.''
People should bear in mind the low chances of recovering stolen property when leaving items in their cars, Snr Const Thompson said.
‘‘Don't leave anything in a vehicle that you're not prepared to lose.''
Preventing crime
- Remove valuables, such as laptop computers, from roadway sight.
- Lock car and house doors.
- Get to know your neighbours.
- Look out for people who do not belong in the area.
- by Joshua Riddiford
