A recent victim of an attempted burglary in Poets Block has told 1 NEWS she is constantly checking that her home is secure.
“Even if it is quite late at night but still light outside, I’m shutting all the doors, shutting all the windows,” she said.
“Everyone’s on edge.”
Hutt Valley Police have confirmed they are investigating seven burglaries or attempted burglaries in the last month.
“As a result of our inquiries to date, we’ve arrested a 40-year-old local man, he is facing a charge of attempted burglary in relation to one of those matters,” Detective Inspector Darrin Thomson said.
The 40-year-old man appeared in the Hutt Valley District Court this morning and was granted interim name suppression.
He will be remanded in custody until his next appearance on Tuesday.
Thomson told 1 NEWS investigations are ongoing to see if any of the other matters are connected.
“We’re also scanning other material and people in the area at that time to see if anybody else is involved,” Thomson said.
Another victim, Rachel Te Tau, said it’s the most unsafe she’s ever felt in the area.
“Every little noise you hear… going 'is that someone, is that someone on our property again?'”
Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy said lots of families live in the suburb.
“(It’s) Not an area that's known for crime, particularly for this sort of crime,” Guppy said.
Thomson told 1 NEWS police take burglary as a very serious offence.
“We want to reassure the community that we'll move heaven and earth to respond accordingly,” he said.
*If you see anything suspicious, call Police on 111 or 105.*
*Alternatively, Crime Stoppers provides a guaranteed anonymous platform to report crime by phoning 0800 555 111.*
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