Burglaries of holiday homes seem to be on the rise in Central Otago.
Police in Roxburgh and Ranfurly are investigating at least five recent burglaries, all of which occurred while homes were not occupied.
Senior Constable Steve Burke, of Ranfurly, said at least three holiday homes in the Maniototo had been burgled in the past few weeks.
All were broken into and had household items stolen.
Snr Const Burke said despite the high percentage of holiday homes in the area, burglaries were not common.
"We haven't had burglaries here for years," he said.
He expected more reports of burgled holiday homes during the long weekend, as owners arrived.
The burglaries being investigated were similar, and Snr Const Burke said it was possible the same person or people were involved.
"We've some positive leads," he said.
Senior Constable Jape Wanoa, of Roxburgh, said it could be a few weeks before DNA analysis was completed in relation to the burglary of two holiday homes in the town.
He said police had narrowed down the time frame of the burglaries to between 5pm on October 11 and 1pm on October 12.
About $8000 worth of household equipment was stolen from one Roxburgh home, while an adjoining property was burgled of items worth about $200.
Police were not alerted to the burglaries until homeowners from Dunedin and Invercargill visited the properties on October 16.
It appeared the crimes were connected, as an item of interest from one home was found on the other property.
