Burglars target Wellington school laptops

Police are encouraging Wellington schools to store or lock valuable equipment out of sight to prevent them from being stolen. The advice follows recent burglaries where a number of portable electronic items were taken.

Several Karori schools and campuses have been repeatedly burgled in the past month, with fifteen laptops being taken during just one burglary. Other Wellington area schools have been burgled in the last few nights, indicating the burglars are spreading out from Karori. Laptops, projectors and other portable electronic equipment were targeted.

The loss of these items has an obvious impact on school students who rely on computers to help with their studies.

Officers are encouraging theft prevention measures to deter offenders and prevent further school burglaries. Valuable items such as laptops, projectors and other portable electronic equipment should be stored out of sight and away from windows. The items should also be locked away where possible. These types of measures should be adopted to keep the prying eyes of offenders moving on to find easier, more obvious targets.

If you know of anybody who has possession of a large quantity of unexplained electronic goods, please contact Wellington Police burglary squad.

Theft prevention tips
• lock valuable items well out of sight.
• store the key in another area if possible - don't leave it near the locker.
• keep a record of make, model and serial number for each item.
• call Police if you are offered an item where the selling price is "too good to be true" - it
may have been stolen.