Selwyn Times: September 15, 2021

Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Wednesday September 15 2021 Selwyn Times
NEWS 3
Joy rides, thefts and cars trashed
• By Susan Sandys
PREBBLETON residents are on
high alert after thieves stole and
broke into vehicles last week.
One car was stolen and
crashed on a joy ride, another
had its window carefully cut out
and $1400 of tools removed.
“How do you prevent someone
doing it in the middle of the
night with no-one around to
really stop them?,” resident Craig
Symon said.
He found his teenage son’s car
crashed near a creek on Raineys
Rd, between Prebbleton and
Lincoln, on Tuesday morning
last week.
The Mazda Demio had gone
missing overnight, from where it
was parked on the street outside
their home at the corner of
Conductors Rd and Coachmans
Rd. It seemed the thieves had
taken it for a joy ride.
“You could see all the skid
marks on the gravel road, they
have lost control and gone down
the bank,” Symon said.
Symon had found the car
about 9.30am after another
resident alerted him to its
whereabouts on the Prebbleton
community Facebook page.
Residents commented on
two other incidents from the
same night on the page. One
JOY RIDE: A Prebbleton resident found his son’s car crashed near a creek after it was stolen
the previous evening. The rubber seal around the rear window of builder Mason Westwood’s
Toyota Land Cruiser was cut so the window could be removed and tools stolen.
commented a Toyota Surf was
broken into, while another
reported her car’s window
was smashed and the
ignition barrel broken.
Footage of the latter
incident was posted on
the thread. Two possible
offenders, who appear to
be young people wearing
hoodies, walking on the
street, were captured by
CCTV.
The following night, apprentice
builder Mason Westwood had
Mason
Westwood
his 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser
on Charles St broken into. It had
its rear window removed
after the rubber seal was
cut, and about $1400 of
power tools were stolen.
Westwood said the
theft followed another
incident just a month ago.
On that occasion, he had
another vehicle parked
in the same spot, on the
street outside his home. It
had its window smashed and the
ignition barrel broken.
Westwood said he had been
in the process of changing
insurance companies, so the
tools taken in this latest incident
were not covered.
“You spend so much of
your time working really
hard for your money, and you
have to spend a lot of your
money on tools and equipment.
It’s a real low blow when
someone can just seemingly
break into your vehicle so
easily and nick off with it all,”
Westwood said.
Westwood said he did not
know if the theft was related to
the car break-ins the previous
evening. But he did not believe
it was young people doing it
for thrills, rather someone was
targeting valuable items so they
could sell them.
He often needed to park his
car on the street as his driveway
was short with the garage close
to the kerb. From now on, he
would have to remove all his
tools from his vehicle every
evening, in order to keep them
safe, he said.
Senior Sergeant Dean Harker
said Prebbleton was not being
targeted by car thieves.
“However, if thieves find a
location where property is inside
vehicles they probably try to get
into other vehicles in the area,”
Harker said.
Police were still investigating
and making further inquiries
regarding youths suspected of
carrying out a large number of
recent vehicle crimes.
The Selwyn Times reported
last month about a series of
car thefts in Selwyn, some of
which were used to ram parked
vehicles.
“What residents can do is look
at their own security, for example,
cameras and alarms on vehicles,”
Harker said.
We're 'Hear',
Selwyn
We’ve fully supported our staff over lockdown and we’re ready to
bring that full support back to you. Help us get our business back
up and running by booking your hearing care visit with our local
hearing experts.
If you or a loved one needs a hearing test or hearing aids, please
consider Brenna Sincock Hearing. We are local, independent, and
want to ensure we can continue to provide Selwyn residents with
the best hearing healthcare!
• Your Local Hearing Experts • Proudly Locally Owned •
Call (03) 390 2332
Shop 40 Rolleston Square, 9 Masefield Dr
Rolleston | Darfield | Leeston | Lincoln
Fall in love
with your favourite
furniture all over again!
• Recover your chairs and couches
and save money!
• Excellent range of fabrics
• Quality workmanship guaranteed
• Free quotes available
• Over 30 years experience
before
Somerfield Upholstery welcome you to email a
photo for a quote online: somerfielduph@gmail.com
after
Somerfield Upholstery Ltd
FURNITURE RECOVERY SPECIALIST
Local Selwyn Audiology
6/47 Sonter Road, Wigram | Ph 021 251 6200 | 349 0456
We’d love for you to join us –
become a member today.
· The latest fiction and non-fiction
reads
· 24/7 online access to thousands
of e-books, audiobooks, movies
and magazines
· Spaces to connect, meet new
friends and play
· Programmes and events for all
ages and interests
· No fines on free-to-borrow books
· Access to the latest tech including
3D printing, gaming and virtual reality
· Printing, scanning, computers,
and wifi available
· Free holds
· Locations in Lincoln, Rolleston,
Leeston and Darfield
Membership is free for Selwyn Residents. We’re open Monday to Friday from
9am to 6pm with late nights at Lincoln and Rolleston to 8pm on Thursdays.
We’re also open Saturdays at all libraries and Sundays 10am to 4pm at
Lincoln and Rolleston.
Chat to your local library, or sign up online:
selwynlibraries.co.nz/join