Last week, the Otago Daily Times reported the woman’s frustrations after a treasured family ute was stolen.
The distinctive Ford Courier was taken from a Calton Hill address in the early hours of December 28 and reported stolen the next day.
The registered owner of the ute, whom the ODT has agreed not to name, said the vehicle, which was not insured, had been seen driven by teenagers erratically and at speed across Otago.
"After the newspaper article, a policeman rang me up and he just said that they were working on it pretty much."
Since then, her frustration with the police investigation has mounted.
"[We are] waiting for police to get ... out from behind their desk and actually do their job."
She had been collecting her own evidence, gathering messages and photos from people who had seen the ute since it was taken and social media posts of teenagers she believes were responsible, flaunting more allegedly stolen vehicles.
"There's lots of cars being stolen and they're [posting] it on their Instagram stories.
"The police have these Instagram stories and they're still not doing anything."
She was worried it was only a matter of time before someone would end up injured or dead.
"The repercussions of it are getting worse and worse."
The vehicle was a labour of love for one of her sons, who had been building it for his brother and she was determined to get it back.
A police spokesman did not respond to specific questions, but said inquiries were ongoing and they were assessing any information received.
"Police are following lines of inquiry in relation to locating the stolen vehicle and the person or persons responsible."
