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Two recent break-in incidents at electronic stores in Silverdale are rare in this area, according to Police.
However, at the same time there are moves to beef up security in local town centres, including bringing in additional number plate recognition and CCTV cameras.
Noel Leeming in Silverdale Centre was targeted in the early hours of May 16 (1am). Waitemata North Area Commander, Inspector Matt Laurenson, says it is likely that the store would have been ram raided, had bollards not been in place.
The thieves used hammers or rocks to break the windows instead, and this took time, enabling security and Police to get there quickly. A chase to the city ensued that involved the Eagle helicopter, two police vehicles being rammed and road spikes deployed before the alleged offenders were stopped. Two males, aged 17 and 20, were charged with burglary and are before the courts. Two younger ones were referred to Police Youth Aid.
The night before, around 5am, there was an attempt to smash into the Vodafone store at Silverdale Mall. Police say this involved “three heavily disguised offenders” who were unsuccessful at getting in and fled the scene after being spotted by a member of the public. Police are actively investigating this matter.
Inspector Laurenson says this sort of “high risk behaviour” is uncommon on the Coast and there is no local spike in youth crime rates.
He says Police are nevertheless working to better support businesses – this could include options like bollards, as well as improving visibility and lighting and implementing fog cannons and CCTV.
He says CCTV camera coverage at the Silverdale Centre is already good, which may be one reason the crime rate there is low.
The business association Silverdale Business recently used a $6000 grant from the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board to add to CCTV coverage in Silverdale Village. There were already a few cameras in the village but Silverdale Business chair Theo Simeonidis says more are needed to create a comprehensive security surveillance network to minimise crime.
The local board funding also enabled the network of cameras in the Village to be connected to a hub, which provides a more direct link to Police.
In the near future, the organisation is looking at boosting security in the Silverdale industrial area as well as at Highgate and Millwater.
Simeonidis says it’s about strength in numbers – while individual businesses may not be able to fund cameras, members of the business association can work together to optimise security.
