Refugee family’s priceless items gone for good

A refugee family from Eritrea has had their family heirlooms stolen, after asking a refugee worker to look after their valuables.

Police say burglars in the Kingsland area, where the theft occurred, are working houses over in groups.

The family came to New Zealand six months ago and asked refugee volunteer Laura Macdonald to mind their pearl jewellery.

Although she knows the break-in isn’t her fault, Laura still feels responsible.

She told the family last weekend of the burglary.

“They were devastated but they took it pretty well,” she says.

“I feel guilty though because the pearls were probably the most valuable thing they own,” she says.

Constable Aimee Brinsley, who specialises in burglaries, says a “thief cluster” usually comprises around 10 people but members commit burglaries in pairs or threes.

“They usually spend between five and 10 minutes on the property and take whatever they can quickly grab,” she says.

St Lukes Community Constable Natasha Bryce says thieves generally stick to their own area when committing crime, and “most offenders live within a 2.5km radius of the offence”.

Because thieves work in specific areas, Constable Brinsley says she has a “fair idea who committed the burglary but the hardest thing is actually convicting them”.

“When we catch the suspects, although they have the stolen goods, generally we can’t prove they were the offenders so we can only charge them on possession,” she says.

“And effectively, the thieves only end up being given 20 to 30 hours of community service…it’s ridiculous.”

Two of the three neighbouring houses have also been broken into in the past year.

Diane Floyd lives in the property which hasn’t been burgled and she thinks she is very lucky.

“We’ve had a dog for the past two and a half years and I think this deters potential burglars,” she says.

Constable Brinsley says burglars often go door-knocking and they tend to target properties with high fences, where neighbours can’t see in or where the house is back off the road.

Laura Macdonald has been a Kingsland resident for almost a year and until now, she has only thought positively of the neighbourhood.

“I thought this was a safe place to live but I guess I’m wrong,” she says.

Constable Bryce says burglaries can happen anywhere and steps must be taken to ensure your property is secure.

“Burglars are getting smarter and to discourage potential thieves, people need locks, alarms and sensor-lights,” she says

Another piece of advice is get to know your neighbours.

“They can keep a watchful eye on your property when you’re not around and potentially, they can stop you getting burgled,” says Constable Bryce.

Although a week has passed since the burglary, Laura still feels shaken by the events.

“Things can be replaced,” she says.

“But the thought of someone being in my room still makes me feel quite sick.

“We’re all pretty gutted, but now we just have to move on,” she says.

In the 2008 annual police report, there were more than 57,000 reported burglary cases.

Only 10,000 were solved.