A Christchurch woman posted a video of a man inside her home. The man stole a handbag, and some electronics while they were sleeping.

Burglaries in the city hit a new high in January with 20 a day reported to police. As drug addiction fuels more brazen break-ins, victims are installing cameras and turning to social media to help catch the criminals.

While Antoinette and Mike Drysdale and their three kids slept, the burglar struck.

Ignoring the sign warning of a dog, he crept in through the back door and into the living area of the house. Moving silently, he scooped a handbag off the breakfast bar and was gone. Minutes later he returned, seemingly unhappy with his haul, and rifled through more belongings. He tiptoed out again soon after, this time taking a tablet and smartwatch with him.

STACY SQUIRES/Stuff.co.nz A family who had a burglar break into their Christchurch home while they were still asleep later spotted the burglar on their home's security camera.

It was a brazen raid – 6.45 on a Saturday morning, when many people are waking up – but the Drysdales didn't hear a thing. When they noticed several items missing, they suspected their teenage son. Weeks passed before they checked CCTV footage of their home and saw the crime replaying before their eyes.

READ MORE:

* Christchurch woman's quick thinking leads to alleged burglars' arrests

* Police will attend all house break-ins, Collins says

* Police slammed for not doing enough to solve burglaries

"It was a big shock," Mike Drysdale said.

"He must have been very, very quiet, because we've got a dog, and she would go nuts if anyone was near the property.

"When you're sleeping and your kids are sleeping, to know someone's been in your house . . . it's horrible."

The burglary, now being investigated by police, joins worrying statistics on home burglaries in Christchurch.

For the last three years the number of burglaries reported in Christchurch has risen 17 per cent while the number of offenders being punished has gone down.

Burglary investigator Detective Sergeant Ross Tarawhiti said the rates were amongst the highest he has seen in his 36 years in the police.

Police have recorded monthly "victimisation" tallies since July 2014. In the case of burglaries, a victim is either a house or a business.

In 2014-15, there were 5262 burglaries reported throughout Christchurch. That rose to nearly 6000 the following year, an increase of 10 per cent.

By the end of the current period, of which 10 months of data has been released, burglaries are on track to exceed 6000; a further 7 per cent increase.

It is a problem affecting some areas more than others. In Riccarton, burglaries have increased 30 per cent this year, with two months still to go.

STACY SQUIRES/FAIRFAX NZ The Drysdale family were sound asleep when a burglar tiptoed through their kitchen and helped himself to their belongings. Luckily they had a security camera.

Both Linwood and Aranui have had more burglaries than previous years, as has St Albans, even though the year is not complete.

It is not just Christchurch city which has suffered. On Thursday, the Selwyn District Council warned of a spate of burglaries in Prebbleton, Lincoln and Tai Tapu between 5pm and midnight each day.

Meanwhile, the number of offenders being dealt with is going down.

In 2014-15, about 11 per cent of burglaries resulted in legal action by police. That fell to about 8 per cent the following year; it is about 6.5 per cent this year.

Tarawhiti said police opposed bail for burglary suspects until investigators could work out whether they were responsible for other offending.

"I can't solve the problems of the world but by having them in custody that stops them re-offending and in turn that stops other people being victims.

"We've got no sympathy whatsoever. If we find them, we charge them. You do the crime you do the time."

Last month, police arrested Robert William Northe, aged in his early 30s, after he was seen going into homes on Bryndwr Rd. He was allegedly caught with a watch from one of the properties.

A check on burglaries within a kilometre radius of Northe's Ilam home revealed 83 burglaries in the area in the 10 weeks before his arrest. Since then burglaries have dropped markedly.

Police had charged the man with eight burglaries and were working to establish whether he was linked to any others, Tarawhiti said. Further charges were likely.

Tarawhiti urged people to be more vigilant about security, especially locking doors and windows. Alarms were an excellent deterrent, he said.

"They [residents] need to talk to their neighbours in relation to people they don't know who may be coming in and out of their street. These people [burglars] are often going in and out of properties on foot. If they see anything like that they should ring police."

SUPPLIED Security footage captures a brazen burglar creeping through a Christchurch family's home while they sleep.

Burglars often stole to fund their drug use, Tarawhiti said.

He warned anyone who received stolen property that they were breaking the law and would be charged if caught.

District prevention manager Inspector Tony Hill said since the beginning of the year, police had attended 98 per cent of all dwelling burglaries and 74 per cent of the visits occurred within the first two days.

Fewer than 40 per cent of the burglaries involved an offender entering the home on the property, he said.

Alternative resolutions for youth offenders had contributed to a drop in burglary prosecutions as the young offenders made up a significant proportion of burglars in the region.

"The resources are there to solve them. We've got 1050-odd police officers in this district. We've just got to be mindful how we use them."

Odyssey House drug rehabilitation centre clinical director Nigel Loughton said people presenting with alcohol and drug difficulties were increasing.

Many drug users were stealing to fund their habits.

"One of the biggest drivers for offending is substance abuse and that's to get money as well as offending under the influence."

Labour police spokesman Stuart Nash said the "significant increase" of methamphetamine throughout the country was fuelling crime.

"People are committing crime to fund their habits and we haven't got the resources on the ground, either in the community policing roles or in the organised crime squads to effectively deal with what we have which is a p epidemic."

Nash said the target of attending 98 per cent of dwelling burglaries within 48 hours had increased police workload by 40 per cent.

"The men and women on the frontline do an excellent job but they're stretched to breaking point. There just aren't enough men and women in blue to attend and solve all these burglaries."

Police Association president Chris Cahill said burglary rates had been going up around the country over the last year and he hoped the 10 new officers coming to Canterbury would help with the workload.

"Without a doubt, police staff are stretched right around the country – there's more demand for their services all the time.

"The Government hasn't ignored it, they have increased numbers."

Police Minister Paula Bennett said the Government took burglaries "very seriously" and had invested significant resources into reducing burglaries and robberies.

"We have invested over $500 million in our Safer Communities package including 1125 new police and a new target of attending 98 per cent dwelling of burglaries within 48 hours."

About $32.9m would also be spent to reduce burglaries by targeting burglars under the age of 25.

And maybe the Drysdale family will see a happy result to their burglary complaint. Detective Sergeant Damon Wells, who is investigating the burglary, said police had posted photos of the alleged offender on social media and hoped to speak with him.

"Once we have a name my team will be eager to meet him, unless he would like to make amends and hand himself in first."