Thieves target mums

Thieves target wealthy mums Thieves with an eye for luxury have a new target: the big cars driven by Remuera's well-to-do mothers to drop off their toddlers at childcare. High-flying PR woman Sarah Paykel, the daughter of whiteware magnate Gary Paykel, was hit when she parked in the secure carpark at the Small World Advanced Child Care and Learning Centre on Dilworth Ave. Thieves broke into another car there on Friday afternoon, and there are other reports of smash and grabs at the neighbourhood's childcare centres. Electric gates with PIN numbers, supplied to all staff and parents, weren't enough to keep the thieves out of Small World. Small World is an ABC childcare centre and general manager Craig Presland said the break-ins were a concern but he did not believe they were an inside job. He said Bearpark childcare centre, 100m up the street, had also been hit. On one occasion a thief was seen running from the Small World carpark and getting into a car. The witness managed to get the registration of the vehicle but it was a stolen car. "Getting into the car park, unless you are parents or staff, is impossible ... however, I would be very, very surprised if it was a former staff member or parent," Presland said. "It's probably an opportunistic thief who targets wealthy parents. I am not aware of any disgruntled former staff or parents." A handbag was stolen from the first car but Presland did not have details about the second break-in. He refused to comment on what type of cars had been targeted. However the Herald on Sunday understands they were expensive luxury vehicles such as Porsche Cayennes and Range Rovers. "The cars involved belonged to parents of children," Presland said. "There have been no thieves in the building." Security cameras would be installed in the carpark tomorrow and monitoring screens set up inside the centre. Presland also hoped to meet local police this week to discuss the problem. Parents have been informed of the thefts in a letter. Newmarket police were aware of the incidents but said there was no trend. Eastern Auckland area commander Chief Inspector John Palmer said there was no evidence of thieves targeting wealthy Remuera residents. "Thefts from cars is a nationwide problem," he said. "Opportunists break in at any place or time - they don't necessarily break into a certain type of car. "It doesn't matter if you have a clapped-out Toyota Corolla or a flash Mercedes Benz, if there is valuable property in the car there will be unsavoury types of people who will break in and take it." Palmer said the message was quite clear to all car owners and drivers: "Please, for goodness' sakes, do not leave valuable property in open view in your car. It's bread and butter stuff. "People think they are just getting out of the car for a minute they can leave their bag. But while they are in the shop or dropping the kids off at school it only takes a minute for a thief to break in." By Anna Leask N.Z hearld. 21.2.2010

nzherald 16.12.2009

Two men who stole $220,000 worth of vans to finance their $1000-a-day P habits have been sent to jail. Brendan Matthew Cooper, 40, and Mohammed Salim Sahib, 30, were responsible for the theft of dozens of Toyota vans over a two-year period. The vans were stripped into parts and shipped overseas to be sold on the black market. Cooper and Sahib pleaded guilty to 50 and 15 counts of theft respectively, and were yesterday sentenced in the Auckland District Court by Judge Anne Kiernan. She rejected submissions from defence lawyers to sentence the pair to home detention and sentenced Cooper to three years and five months in prison. Sahib was sentenced to one year and three months, and is likely to be deported once he has served his term. Crown prosecutor Joshua Shaw submitted 39 victim impact statements and said more than half the van owners were uninsured and suffered direct financial loss. He read out one statement from a German backpacker who had bought his van for $2000 to travel around New Zealand. All his possessions, including a passport and airline tickets worth $3000, were inside the stolen van. "My entire life was in the vehicle and I have suffered a significant financial loss," his statement said. The Weekend Herald revealed the car theft ring in June when the pair were arrested for stealing dozens of Toyota vans, then stripping them for parts which were shipped from Auckland to the Middle East. The parts are valued for their durability in the desert sands of countries such as Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. Toyota vans have been the most stolen car in Japan for several years. Auckland police noticed a similar pattern locally, and started Operation Beryl in April. More than 550 Toyota vans were stolen in the previous 18 months, but only 18 per cent were recovered. The normal recovery rate is 70 per cent. Police began covert surveillance of Cooper's Panmure home in May and photographed stolen vans being driven in and leaving with false plates. After his arrest, Cooper told police he could not remember how many vans he had stolen because there had been so many. Sahib said they had stolen one van a week for nearly two years to pay for their drug habits. "Cooper admitted that he funded his lifestyle by stealing these vehicles, he admitted to being a methamphetamine user and stated that he had no choice but to commit crime to survive," the police summary said.

NZ's most stolen car

NZ's most stolen cars revealed N.z Herald. 11:34AM Wednesday Sep 16, 2009 Nissan's Silvia, popular among import car modifiers and drifters, has topped New Zealand's most-stolen car list. The Nissan Silvia has topped a list of the most frequently stolen vehicles for the second year running. AA Insurance today released the list based on analysis of theft claims made to the company over the last four years. Subaru had three models in the top 10, while the Nissan Skyline jumping from eighth place to third. Newcomers to the list included the Mitsubishi Legnum, Honda Integra, Subaru Forester and Mazda Familia. The list showed car thieves preferred pre-2000 models, AA deputy general manager Martin Fox said. "That's probably because older cars lack the sophisticated security systems of newer models, such as electronic locking, alarms and immobilisers, so are simply easier to steal," he said. "It's more about the age of the cars than the various vehicle manufacturers." Sixty nine per cent of stolen vehicles reported to AA did not contain any security devices. Mr Fox said thieves were opportunistic and drivers should take measures to protect their vehicle, including installing a security system, always locking it and parking in well-lit areas. Top 10: 1. Nissan Silvia 2. Subaru Impreza 3. Nissan Skyline 4. Subaru Legacy 5. Mitsubishi Legnum 6. Honda Integra 7. Subaru Forester 8. Mazda Lantis 9. Honda Prelude 10. Mazda Familia

Vehicle-theft ring

keeps targeting workhorse vans 4:00AM Monday Nov 02, 2009 By Jared Savage Car thieves continue to target hundreds of Toyota vans police believe are being dismantled and shipped to the Middle East. The Herald revealed the success of the police in cracking an international car-theft ring, after more than 550 Toyota vans were stolen in an 18 month period. But the June arrests were predicted to be just the tip of the iceberg, and since then more than 50 Hiace vans have been stolen each month in Auckland, with a low recovery rate. Police are gearing up for another region-wide operation to target the car thieves, but remain tight-lipped on the problem. The humble Toyota Hiace - more workhorse than thoroughbred - looks an unlikely target for car thieves. But the van has been the most stolen model in Japan for the past two years because the parts are valued for their durability in desert environments. It is believed the vans are being stolen to order and sold to car wreckers for as little as $200 each. The vans are dismantled, with engines, transmissions, doors, wheels and chassis packed into containers which are then shipped to the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and East Africa. The onsold stolen parts are sent to countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria. One man has been charged with the theft of 80 vans since November 2007, and several Otahuhu car wreckers have been charged with receiving.

News for car owners

The high risk cars in order are Holden Commodores, Cubsports, Senator,R8,CV8 OR GTS. Subaru, all models. Mitsubishi Lancer 93 to current and all evoution models. Mazda 323 models, all rotarys. Ford Laser all Models. The Police say get a vehicle alarm system as a major deterrent to car theft. We have a Free mobile installation service in Auckland and Hamilton metro area.
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