Plea for stolen footage

By DENISE PIPER - Western Leader

A Whangarei man is appealing for the return of a stolen video camera filled with precious memories.

Brenna Smith says the camera was stolen from his house in Raumunga between Saturday night, November 7, and Sunday morning, November 8, along with his personal laptop, CDs and alcohol.

The Panasonic camcorder belongs to Mr Smith's employer, Ki a Ora Ngatiwai, with footage including the group moving into its Kamo office.

Mr Smith is also an assistant teacher at Te Wananga o Aotearoa and the stolen footage includes shots of Maori language students visiting a marae.

The students are in their first year of a Te Ara Reo Maori course and the footage is vital to their learning

"The footage is all about my students. I'm concerned that someone has got it."

While the items are covered by insurance, Mr Smith is disappointed the offenders went through his house.

"Out of all of this it's the fact that they went into our house and went through our things," he says.

Unprepared to be a victim, Mr Smith says he wants to appeal for the items to be returned, especially the video.

"I just want my stuff back."

He says it is frustrating the items were taken when he works to promote better health and wellbeing.

Mr Smith works to promote nutrition, being smokefree, breast feeding and Maori weaponry.

Whangarei police area commander inspector Paul Dimery says laptops have been targeted in central Whangarei, with businesses, councils and schools hit.

He believes a couple of groups, including a national criminal, could be working in the area.

"I've identified similar modus operandi right through Waikato, Auckland and Northland.

"Clearly there's a market, I just don't know what that market is."

Mr Dimery says the laptops could be sold overseas in parts, as happened for many years with stolen cars.

Meanwhile an increase in shoplifting is being blamed on the global financial crisis.

The annual global retail theft barometer found theft in Australia and New Zealand is up 5.8 percent on last year to $2.75 billion.

The report by Checkpoint Systems blames the increase on the impact of the global financial crisis.