Petone burglars tracked down using Facebook
Red-handed: Security camera footage showing two of four offenders inside car audio firm Abtec in the early hours of this morning.
Police were too busy to attend a burglary in the early hours of this morning. So a Petone business owner got on Facebook to track down the alleged offenders himself.
The alarm went off at Abtec, a car audio firm in Hutt Rd, at 2.26am. Owner Ashley Burrell says his security monitoring firm rang 111 about a minute later, as they are instructed to do because his premises are listed as high risk because of the value of electronic goods inside.
Police were phoned again 10 minutes later by the monitoring firm and Burrell understands from police that by then at least two members of the public had also called 111.
At 2.50am a security company car rolled up, and security video shot inside the building indicated the four offenders had scarpered only moments earlier.
Burrell, who is supposed to be resting at home after a hernia operation, says it was ”horrible” and ”sickening” to watch security video footage of four offenders, who looked to be in their twenties, smash up the place.
”It was quite malicious. As well as breaking the big window with an axe they were smashing internal gear. They just ransacked the whole place.”
Early estimates put the stolen electronic gear at between $10,000-$15,000, with damage done likely to cost several thousand dollars more.
Burrell says he understands police are ”understaffed…and have to prioritise”. He was told later if police had been told offenders were still in the building they would have rushed there.
”They were inside long enough for a patrol car to get from Johnsonville or even Upper Hutt.”
Nevertheless, Burrell had high definition video and photographs that he put on Abtec’s and the Hutt News Facebook pages.
He soon had plenty of hits and comments, and has now provided police with the names and addresses of three people he is confident were involved.
Burrell says he’s never had to do anything like this before, despite Abtec being broken into three times in the last three years.
”I felt a bit like a vigilante. I don’t want to bag police because I know they get busy and they’re under-manned, but it gets to the point where you have to do something yourself.”
Senior Sergeant Steve Harwood said he could understand Burrell’s frustration but it had been a busy night for police, including dealing with a stabbing.
“We’ll do everything we can to deal with [these offenders] if we get the proof.”
Meanwhile, Burrell is grateful for all the support from the public and on-line community.
”It’s great to see young people willing to help an old dog like me.”
See links below…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1vL4MQ5vRU&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU6F9_-oUWw&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xfyGOOorS0&feature=youtu.be
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.900185496660333.1073742033.384165891595632&type=1
Hutt News – 2nd December 2014
I big thank to you all for your warm wishes and support, it’s been very difficult to manage this from bed…Hope to be back to work mid next week. Oh, Police are now working on this and with leads providing by you guys we should have this all wrapped up very soon.
Best regards
Ashley Burrell