The police used to refer to summer as ‘burglar weather’. 

It makes sense that when we all have windows, doors, sheds, and garages open for longer, due to the heat of the day, there’s more likelihood of the crimes of opportunity taking place. 

Do you think theft and burglary are on the increase? Is that the case where you live? 

I would have thought that power tools, lawn mowers and chainsaws would be the more common targets out in the garages of the country, and then there’s the usual list of probable targets in the home with all the mod-cons we love to have on hand. 

But fencing panels? Why on earth would anyone want to steal something of such questionable value as metal road fencing? What would the market for that be? How on earth do you fence a bunch of fencing? 

No doubt you’ve heard the news about brazen thieves who’ve stolen more than 70 fence panels from roads around Auckland's North Shore, costing ratepayers $75,000 and creating the potential for all sorts of safety hazards. 

Authorities are appealing to the public for information about the thefts. The most recent took place last week, but these thefts stretch back to November last year. 

More than 60 fence panels have been stolen from the top of a new retaining wall, between Silver Moon Rd and a raised pedestrian crossing on Gills Rd in the Auckland suburb of Albany. 

The statistics from 2024 show that in terms of theft, burglary, and robbery, the number of charges is rising much more steeply than the number of people charged, meaning on average each offender is committing more offences. 

The biggest surges in the last year have been for court charges against young people, in particular for theft, burglary and robbery. There was a 41% increase in theft charges in court against young people, compared to 2023. 

Back to the theft of those many fencing panels: be wary of anyone wanting to sell you a whole lot of metal fencing as scrap metal – or someone on TradeMe with a fencing deal too good to be true. 

So what’s happening in your home or business environment? Those statistics around theft and burglary show that you and I are having more stolen. 

So what is being stolen? What preventative measures have you taken at home or at work to ensure that either those planned, or the crimes of opportunity don’t afflict you? 

What these concerning statistics tell me, is that more people are caring less about you, your property or anything that may see them before the courts. 

The risk of being caught and the penalties for the crimes committed are not the deterrent that they should be.