Wednesday, 13 Aug, 2008 Offbeat

After discovering a home which was very easy to break into, a burglar decided to leave a note to the house's owners. The note called the residents of the house "dumb arse" because they didn't turn on their alarm system.

The home was located in the Christchurch suburb of Avonhead. It was robbed on Monday. After the house's owners came back home, they discovered the note, which read "Put your cat out and turn your alarm on dumb arse."

For the first time the Christchurch police's inspector Gary Knowles mentioned that police agreed with the burglar.

"Please use whatever security you have - and it may be as simple as locking the back door or remembering to activate the alarm when you go out," he said.

Mr Knowles outlined that a lot of people did not use their alarm system. He mentioned that the alarm should be turned on and people should never forget to use it.

"When you are off to bed, or just watching television, remember to lock the back door! Take the hint and remember Fred Flintstone and the TVNZ cat; when you've put the cat out, lock the door," he said.

The police inspector said that although the burglaries often take place when there is a spate, the current crime in Christchurch happened when people where at home leaving several entries in the house completely insecure.

"Recent files read: Entry via unlocked rear door; Entry via unlocked garage window; Entry via lounge window ... the list goes on."

Mr Knowles said that in one case when the burglars were unable to get the television they decided to take lunches from the fridge. According to statistics almost 70 percent of burglaries occurred during the day on weekdays and at night on weekend.

"Make things difficult for burglars. They like to make easy money," outlined the police inspector.

Source: The New Zealan Herald