Nelson City Councillor, Tim Skinner says the Police have seen a huge, huge increase in theft throughout the region.
The increase includes a string of thefts in The Brook in which Tim and his neighbors were hit.
Tim’s bike was stolen late last Thursday.
Tim says he had to scratch his head when he went to use the bike on Friday morning and it wasn’t there.
“I was about to call the police and then some neighbors a few doors down came over just to inform me they’d had their vehicles broken into and stuff taken out.”
The Giant Trace X bike was unlocked but out of sight and down the very back of their property.
“These people are particularly brazen going down the back of our property, they must have just taken their chances.”
Tim says not having the bike has been a real inconvenience, and a large unnecessary expense to replace when you have more important bills and a family to look after.
“The real disturbance has probably been for my young boys being worried now at night and knowing that someone uninvited has been outside their room when sleeping.”
One of the other neighbors hit was a young mother who’d had her car broken into and belongings stolen including a Red Mountain Buggy for her young baby.
“I feel for the young mum down the road who had her pram stolen, that’s a big inconvenience and she’d just moved into the house the day before.”
Tim says, “The Brook has been pretty safe and generally void of these issues the last 12 years I have lived here.”
Last Sunday around 11 pm, the Brook Street Store was also burgled.
Owner, Martin Meads says, “They smashed the door and the alarm went off but they still grabbed the till and ran.”
“We’ve taken extra precautions and made some major changes so they can’t repeat the act.”
Martin says that the theft comes on the back of a hard financial year for the store.
“This has compounded on 9 months of road works, a robbery a year ago and other bad things, it’s not been a good year.”
