The warm weather may be a treat for some Rotorua residents looking to bask in the sunshine, but it also provides an opportunity for daytime thieves, police say.
The number of daytime burglaries has risen, according to Rotorua police, as residents leave windows open or leave their doors ajar in a bid to combat the heat.
Rotorua experienced temperatures nearing 29C earlier this week, which followed a scorching weekend, with the mercury hitting 28C in the city on Saturday and Sunday.
The hot weather provided an opportunity for opportunist thieves, Rotorua police crime prevention manager Inspector Stuart Nightingale said.
In the past week, with temperatures rising to well above 25C, police have noticed a number of daytime burglaries, particularly in the Hillcrest and Fordlands areas.
"We suspect that a number of these are committed by people on foot or on bikes, so we urge anyone who sees anything suspicious or anything that seems out of place, to contact police, whether that's cars loitering in driveways, people walking backwards and forwards or milling around, we want to know about it," Mr Nightingale said.
"It could be someone who has committed an offence or is planning to commit an offence."
Police were taking a preventive approach to these crimes, Mr Nightingale said, but needed the public to support them with that.
"There's so much more the police could be solving, if the public ring us up. If they see something, they need to say something."
Mr Nightingale urged residents to ensure their property was secure at all times and their valuables were put somewhere safe, even if they were at home at the time.
He encouraged people to lock their doors and keep windows closed despite the heat. It was also a good idea to get security stays for their windows, he said.
By Adriana Weber of the Rotorua Daily Post
