An alleged serial gym thief has been charged over a spate of burglaries in various gyms across the city over the past month.
Police say the 25-year-old man, who has been linked to over 24 burglaries, would allegedly shadow paying members or use recently stolen swipe cards to get access to the gyms.
He would then steal bank cards and other items out of the wallets of gym users with many victims unaware until their cards had been used at nearby service stations.
The thefts occurred at gyms across Auckland from Royal Oak to Henderson.
The 25-year-old is facing a number of charges relating to burglary and unlawfully using a document and is due in the Waitakere District Court on February 18.
The arrest was a reminder for people to either keep their valuables on them or in a secure place at all times, Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Salton said.
"If you’re heading out to the gym consider leaving valuables in a locker with a secure lock or in a pocket with a zip," he said.
"Please don’t leave them in plain sight or in your vehicle where someone can easily snatch them, out of sight, out of mind," he says.
"If you lose your credit card or notice it’s missing, immediately inform your bank and cancel the card, and if you have to take your mobile phone to the gym, keep it on you and consider downloading an app to help track down your mobile phone if you lose it."
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