Victims of car thefts have contacted the Otago Daily Times and flooded social media over the past week to share the sometimes devastating impact caused by "someone’s five minutes of fun".
Andersons Bay resident Breeanna Rawlinson’s Mazda Demio was stolen from outside her house on April 17.
The vehicle’s ignition had been ripped out, the dashboard covering destroyed and windows smashed.
Her mechanic told her he had not been able to source parts for her Demio since the type of car was stolen frequently.
"Police informed me it was a couple of youths and that they would appear in court. However, they would not be punished, and I would not receive a single cent to pay for towing or repairs to my car because of their age.
"I felt I was being punished for someone else’s crime."
"I have not been able to attend my health appointments, have had to reschedule, and put off receiving much-needed care."
She said more than anything, there was stress, anxiety and a feeling of violation after knowing people had been inside her car and taken something that belonged to her.
Ms Rawlinson was just one of many victims who reached out to the ODT.
Maryhill resident Kristy Parker was putting her bins out at night on Good Friday when she spotted a running car with its windscreen wipers on.
The next morning, she went out and the car was still running.
It was not until Mrs Parker got closer that she noticed the rear windscreen and ignition were smashed.
Looking around, her husband then asked, "Well heck, where is your car?"
She said it felt like she was now "in the same boat" as half the city.
"It’s just such a rigmarole for someone’s five minutes of fun."
Bridgman St Panelbeaters commercial manager Jarrod Hodson said he had been in the repair industry for decades and had never seen so many cars coming in for repairs after being stolen.
"It used to be something that we would only see maybe once in a few months, at best. Now it’s coming in waves."
Seeing six to seven stolen cars needing repairs was now common.
Many would ultimately be deemed total losses, Mr Hodson said.
Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond, of Dunedin, said police investigated all offences reported to them and undertook forensics for all recovered cars, to dust for fingerprints and collect DNA samples to help track down offenders.
There had been spikes in this type of offending before, when groups would go out together and steal vehicles for joyrides, Snr Sgt Bond said.
"It’s an unfortunate reality as cars do get stolen."
Asked if the offending was more prevalent among youths, Snr Sgt Bond said police did not know "until we get the evidence".
"It’s easy to, I guess, blame one group of society.
"But regardless of their age, we look to hold them accountable."
Police were also bound by legislation as to how they could respond to youth offending after it occurred.
Deterrents included buying steering wheel locks, parking near CCTV cameras, not leaving valuables in the car and familiarising yourself with the normal vehicles and activity on your street, Snr Sgt Bond said.
