Just weeks after police indicated fuel theft was not increasing, the situation has shifted. Speaking on ‘Breakfast’ on Friday 17th June, Assistant Commissioner of the New Zealand Police Tusha Penny confirmed a sharp rise, noting that “there has been an increase of 26% in petrol drive-offs,” alongside growing incidents of diesel theft in rural areas.
The trend is affecting a wide range of people. “We’ve got people out there who are targeting families, who are targeting business owners and farmers,” Penny said, adding that police are responding firmly: “If they’re going to put their hand up like that, then we’re going to target them.”
Police are also urging greater community involvement, stressing that awareness is key to prevention. “What we want to do is we want the communities to work with us, so we know about it,” Penny said. “We can’t target it if we don’t know about it… it’s critical that people ring us and let us know, and we will have a response.”
The information has been really clear on what works: LIGHTS, LOCKS, CAMERAS, and let the police know early of any thefts.
1. LIGHTS (Visibility & Detection)
- Motion Sensor Lights: Place these around entry points, walkways, and the perimeter of your home. They turn on when they detect movement, surprising potential intruders and making them feel exposed.
- Simulate Presence: Use smart bulbs or timers to keep external lights on after dark. Burglars prefer to operate in the dark and are less likely to target a home that appears occupied.
- Strategic Placement: Install lights high enough that they cannot be easily reached and disabled.
2. LOCKS (Physical Hardening)
- Secure All Access Points: Ensure all doors and windows are locked, even when you are home or in the garden.
- Upgrade Hardware: Use high-quality deadbolts on exterior doors and add security stays or patio bolts to ground-level windows.
- Don’t Hide Keys: Avoid leaving spare keys under doormats, in mailboxes, or above doors, as these are the first places burglars check.
3. CAMERAS (Deterrence & Evidence)
- Visible Deterrent: Visible security cameras (including video doorbells) make burglars think twice; research shows they often avoid camera-protected homes.
- Remote Monitoring: Consider cameras that link to a smartphone app, allowing you to monitor your property remotely.
- Coverage: Ensure cameras cover main entry points, driveways, and sheds, and are placed high enough to avoid being tampered with.
4. Let the Police Know Early (Reporting & Action)
- Report Immediately: Call 111 if a crime is happening now or has just occurred.
- Non-Emergency Reporting: Use the 105 service (phone or online) to report theft, burglary, or damage that has already occurred.
- Information Sharing: Reporting immediately helps police track trends and catch offenders who may be operating in your area.
- Document Everything: Record serial numbers, take photos of valuables, and report them to help police return stolen items.
Extra Layer: Community:
- Know Your Neighbours: Develop plans to deal with suspicious activity and share contact details.
Working Together: The Role of Business North Harbour
Business North Harbour supports companies across the area by providing practical crime prevention advice, encouraging information-sharing, and helping connect businesses with police and community networks. Their approach reinforces a key message: prevention is most effective when businesses work together rather than in isolation.
This includes promoting simple but effective measures, such as improving site security with lighting, locks, and cameras, while also encouraging businesses to report incidents early and share information about suspicious activity. By building stronger connections between neighbouring businesses, they help create a more coordinated response to crime.
In an environment where fuel theft and other offences are rising, this kind of collective approach is becoming increasingly important. It not only helps deter opportunistic crime but also strengthens the overall resilience of the North Harbour business community.
Please visit Business North Harbour’s Crime Prevention Page – https://businessnh.org.nz/crime-prevention/
