Police and the consumer watchdog group Consumer have sounded the alarm about buying potentially stolen tools on social media after $30,000 worth of gear owned by a builder was burgled from a Dunedin building site.
Acting Inspector Craig Dinnissen, of Dunedin, said the trade in stolen tools was fuelled by the South's growing methamphetamine problem, as reports of plundered sheds and containers continued to roll in to police.
Among them was a container on a building site in McMaster Rd, Saddle Hill, where a builder found the padlock on the container had been cut and more than $30,000 worth of tools taken, Insp Dinnissen said.
Near central Dunedin, a shed in a Fernhill St property was entered overnight on Sunday, and tools, a bathroom vanity set and children's equipment, including a pram, were taken.
The items had a total value of more than $10,000.
Police also received reports of unsuccessful attempts to enter an old barn in Ocean Grove, while someone tried to saw through a padlock on a shed in Pine Hill.
Insp Dinnissen said the stolen tools would likely end up on social media, especially Facebook Marketplace.
He warned that if premium gear was going cheap, it was probably stolen.
''If it's too good to be true, it probably is.
''They're selling DeWalt and Makita tools for $50 to $100, when some of those tools are worth $300 alone.''
Police believed the driver behind many such burglaries were people who had racked up big debts buying drugs, especially methamphetamine, and people were also swapping tools for drugs directly, Insp Dinnissen said.
''You've got to have big-ticket items to pay off some of those debts.''
When police executed drug warrants they often found tools such as drop saws, he said.
Insp Dinnissen said methamphetamine use was growing across Otago and Southland.
''We're going to more and more family harm incidents and assaults ... where meth is evident.''
Consumer NZ head of research Jessica Wilson, of Wellington, said people buying from a private seller through social media would not be covered under the Consumer Guarantees Act.
''Doing business with other individuals through these groups means you won't have any comeback under consumer law if something goes wrong with a purchase.
''These marketplaces are risky and there's much less protection for consumers when things go pear-shaped.''
