Home crime fighter backed

A Hamilton city councillor has publicly praised a man who was stabbed after he stopped an intruder in his home, and says communities are taking the law into their own hands because of police inaction.

Councillor Dave Macpherson's comments on his internet blog site (davemacpherson.blogspot.com) follow an incident in Nawton on Tuesday in which a man was stabbed in the back after tackling one of two female intruders in his home.

The man's neighbours came to his aid and held on to one of the women until police arrived.

Following that attack, Hamilton police warned homeowners not "to place themselves at risk" by confronting offenders.

City area commander Inspector Rob Lindsay said people should "capture details and descriptions and let police respond to the problem".

However, on his blog Mr Macpherson said in an "ideal world" that would be fine.

"But lack of police resources, and an all-too-frequent disorganised police response, often force the community to take the law into it's own hands," he wrote.

"If you can't rely on the police to stop criminals, then many Kiwis will rightly choose to take on the crims rather than letting them get away with the proceeds of their crimes."

Hamilton police did not want to comment on Mr Macpherson's comments.

Mr Macpherson stood by his sentiments when spoken to by the Waikato Times yesterday.

"Good on him," he said of the Nawton man who tackled the female offender.

"I don't think he had any choice in reality.

"It's fine for the cops to say don't take that risk, but the alternative risk is that absolutely nothing will happen.

"I would have done the same thing. It's just an instinctive reaction."

Mr Macpherson said his eldest son, Tony, 22, had a similar experience while working last Friday at a Hamilton West liquor store.

"He chased and caught a burglar escaping with goods he'd tried to steal. When I asked him why he'd taken this risk, he replied that the police `are useless'.

"That sort of story is all too common."

Mr Macpherson claimed that when his son rang the police to report the theft he was told to ring the local police station on Monday when it opened, to file a report.

"That's why people take things into their own hands. "A neighbour of mine got so sick of hoons driving up and down the street that he hit one of their cars with a crow bar. When it went past he smashed the tail-light and I can totally understand why he did it. People have had a gutsfull."

He did not blame individual police officers, but rather the lack of police resources generally. "The cops are frustrated as well. If you talk to them privately they'll tell you not to believe the stories that they have enough resources, because they haven't."

The Nawton man's actions on Tuesday night prompted an array of comments on internet chat sites. One Trade Me customer said the neighbours were awesome. "At least in Hamilton they actually help when they hear something wrong," the woman said.

The Nawton man, who did not want to be named, told the Times he had no hesitation in confronting the burglars.

"But really we were lucky, everything turned out all right in the end," he said.

Should you capture details – or the crims? Tell us what you think.

- © Fairfax NZ News