The knock on the door came about 1.30am.
The rapping woke Jim (not his real name), who opened the door to find a policeman on his doorstep.
Apologising for waking him, the officer told Jim his 7-year-old car had been pinched a few hours earlier from outside the Dunedin home he has lived in the past 20 years.
"I’m not sure how they knew what they told me, but my car had been stolen and I should ring them in the morning."
A few days later, about $600 of speeding fines arrived in his letterbox for infringements around the city that night.
His insured car was found on the outskirts of the city soon after those speeds had been racked up. But it had been damaged, needing repairs to its engine, a panel, the ignition and a broken window through which the thieves got in.
The police waived the fines. More than a month later, Jim, a superannuitant, is still without his car, relying on buses and his bike.
His car had been parked on the street. Like many Dunedin residents, Jim has no off-street parking. In his time in the neighbourhood, he could recall only one incident many years ago of a car being broken into. But that was not stolen for a joyride.
"Young people need to be held responsible and accountable. I don’t want to see them go into custody, care. But they should have to do community service, both they and their parents. Even if they’re 16, they and their parents should go to court and maybe, if the family is not too poor, they should pay some kind of reparations.
"They should have to face people they made life difficult for."
AA Otago district council chairman Malcolm Budd doesn’t mince words when it comes to the young perpetrators of car theft and the police’s ability to do much about it.
"With these young youths, where are their parents when these kids are racing round in stolen cars at two, three o’clock in the morning? The parents have got to be accountable.
"These kids are so young, they can’t go through the normal justice system. They’ve got to go through the youth system, which is just basically a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken and a slap on the hand."
Budd, who worked for the Ministry of Transport as a traffic officer from 1975 to 1987, says insufficient police resources in Dunedin and the region are dedicated to road-traffic enforcement.
He gives an example of a recent meeting with police.
"On this particular day, there were three officers that were dedicated to road policing between the Waitaki River and Clinton. Three officers! And then they wanted to take one of those officers off to put on to other duties."
"We had 10 officers on shift at one time, just in Dunedin city, just in the 50kmh area. There were another four or so in Mosgiel, one based in Palmerston, three or four in Oamaru, all at one time.
"They were dealing with traffic issues, motor accidents and stopping people for traffic offences. Today, the police don’t have those resources, and they can’t be everywhere at once and are too busy dealing with other police matters.
"Your chances of getting caught, whether it be speeding, drunk driving, or any offence, are so slim, it’s bad luck to get caught."
Despite that, Budd takes his "hat off to police" for the work they are doing catching drink-drivers and sending them to court, even if "there’s no follow-up" after that to ensure those prosecuted are complying with their sentences.
A lack of private garaging and secure off-street parking is definitely a factor in car thefts in Dunedin, he says.
Police did not have figures to hand of how many dedicated traffic policing officers there are in Dunedin. District road policing manager Inspector James Ure said the question was best dealt with through an Official Information Act request.
In recent weeks, there has been a spate of car thefts around the city. Police were also unable to say how stolen car numbers in Dunedin and Otago compared with other regions, as the information was "not readily available".
But in a statement, Senior Sergeant Jared Kirk, of Dunedin police, said they were "concerned for the complete lack of awareness or care this offending has on the victims".
Their advice was to ensure vehicles were locked and parked off-road, "out of sight, or in secure parking where possible". Those vehicles were "less likely to be stolen".
He recommended steering-wheel locks, which "will cost you nothing compared to the cost of repairing a stolen vehicle".
"I have not yet seen a vehicle with a steering-wheel lock being stolen."
Any vehicles with standard ignition barrels were at higher risk of being stolen. Car models most regularly stolen were the Mazda Demio, Toyota Aqua and Nissan Tiida, he said.
"Most modern cars have built-in security systems, which generally act as a deterrent to offenders, such as car alarms. Push-button start vehicles also provide better protection, as the engine’s computer needs to connect with the proximity key.
"Some vehicles also have in-built immobilisers which provide an added layer of security to try to overcome," Kirk said.
AA Insurance head of motor claims Beau Paparoa says there has been a 9% increase in claims received for vehicle theft in the past six months.
The hybrid Toyota Aqua makes up nearly a quarter of AA Insurance’s top-10 most frequently stolen vehicles.
Offenders are not only looking to grab easier-to-steal vehicles off the street. They are also targeting any car keys they might see around your home and that might be kept near front and back doors.
In a statement, Snr Sgt Kirk said most stolen cars were used for joy-riding or to commit other crimes.
"It’s not uncommon to recover stolen vehicles at the scene of another stolen vehicle. In many cases, items are stolen from the vehicles."
Often, retrieved stolen cars were damaged, with smashed windows, broken door locks and ignition barrels, burnt-out wiring and crumpled panels.
"Many young people", often between 13 and 18, were responsible for car theft, but specific figures of that and of how many end up in court were not readily available.
Those aged 13 and younger were not considered criminally liable to go to court, while offenders between 14 and 18 could be referred to youth services, he said.
Police were aware that social media sites might contain information that helped people break into cars.
"Police can only act on information received, and we continue to ask the community to report any criminal or suspicious activity so it can be investigated."
Snr Sgt Kirk’s concerns about the selfishness of those who commit car theft, and their disregard for owners and disinterest in the repercussions on their lives, are shared by Jim and AA Otago’s Budd.
"These young youths these days don’t seem have any respect for other people’s property," Budd says. "And they’ve got no respect for the law.
"These are cars that people need to get to work, they need them to get the children to school. They need to use them on a day-to-day basis. So, these people are actually suffering, as a result of these youths.
"They’re just leaving these people and insurance companies wearing it, having to pay out claims, so premiums go up. It’s just an ongoing thing."
Jim, who enjoys living in his neighbourhood, is still trying to come to terms with the logistical nightmare and the emotional impact of having his car stolen.
"It’s a worry that you have so many young people who think it’s all right to do this.
"I think there are a lot of issues. You’ve got the issue of poverty and people not being very positive about the future, but also I think we’ve grown a sense of entitlement. There’s more people looking after themselves and not being concerned with the community. It’s partly the kind of economic system — we’re encouraged to look after ourselves and not think of the common good.
"I want to see a lot more Graeme Dingles in the world working with young people. I don’t want to punish people, but I want them to feel accountable and be held accountable. I think community service is a good way of doing it. Putting people in confinement or custody is not a good way of handling it."
Apart from the many irritations and inconveniences of not having a car, Jim estimates the theft will cost him more than $1000, including installing a car alarm and paying his insurance excess.
Paparoa says ram-raids around the country have generated a lot of concern, but the increase in thefts of vehicles "at the lower end of the value chain" is not solely due to those.
"We are also receiving reports about increased joyrides and cars apparently being stolen to get from A to B."
In the year to September 2018, net claims of approximately $1.14 billion were received but for the 12-month period to last September that rose to about $1.42b.
"This is a function of many factors, including the sheer volume of total loss motor claims for vehicles damaged by flood water in the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods and Cyclone Gabrielle, vehicles becoming more complex and costly to repair, as well as the general effect of inflation and lingering supply chain issues," Judge says.
Budd believes the rise of the overly protective health and safety "craze" is partly to blame for fostering a lack of respect for people and their property.
In the past, young people might ride up front with their truck driver father, or work after school sweeping floors in the local garage, and learn about vehicles and respecting them and their owners, as well as the value of money.
"These kids had the opportunity to go to work and they’d be earning money and have a work ethic, and appreciate what they actually own, and understand that other people work to get what they want. And if you’re stealing cars you’re taking that liberty away from those people because you’re just a bloody idiot."
Jim wants to know the best ways to get these young people to be responsible and accountable.
"I don’t think they steal the cars because they’re angry at the people who own them.
"They may be angry at society, but they didn’t steal my car because they didn’t like me. They stole the car for fun, because they thought it was all right to take it.
"If they really realised what it entailed for people and the disruption, they might not do it. The first time, anyway."
