The latest data released under the Official Information Act shows a total of 787 reported burglaries from January to September this year, compared to 855 for the same period last year.
Sergeant Jim Currie, of the New Brighton police station, said while the eastern suburbs aren’t seeing more burglaries than other parts of Christchurch, there did seem to be a recent trend of pot plants being stolen around the area. But police weren’t sure why.
He said police have been asking their partners at Community Watch to assist them with their patrols, as well as getting police staff out and about where possible.
Currie recommends people going away from home ask a neighbour, friend or family member to keep an eye on the property and to clear the mail box if possible.
"A cluttered mailbox is a good sign no-one is home," he said.
"Don’t leave any tools lying around as these could be used to break in, and definitely don’t leave anything valuable in plain sight."
Normally police would expect to see a rise in residential and commercial burglaries over the holiday period with people going away. However, Currie said with lockdowns and the new traffic light system, police aren’t sure if it would have an effect on burglaries this year.
