Unlocked sheds tempting
Oamaru police are warning farmers that open sheds and unlocked vehicles with keys left in them are easy targets for opportunistic thieves.
Their warning comes after a 22-year-old Oamaru man was arrested on Monday in relation to the theft of a car and two counts of burglary from rural properties in the Weston/Ngapara to Georgetown area.
Oamaru police Sergeant Craig Sew Hoy said on Sunday a car was reported stolen from a Weston-Ngapara Rd address.
The 22-year-old was found by police on Monday driving the blue Hyundai stationwagon, and was arrested as a result. He is also linked to a burglary where a 50cc children's quad bike and a chainsaw were taken and another burglary in the Ngapara-Georgetown area, where a cow shed was allegedly broken into.
An air compressor and water blaster were taken. A motorbike was also taken, but it was recovered, undamaged, on the farm.
The man will appear in the Oamaru District Court next week, likely charged with one count of theft and two of burglary.
"So that's a heads up to farmers in that area, or anywhere, that open sheds and vehicles with keys in them are easy targets for these sort of people," Mr Sew Hoy said.
"We're finding that all the time - unlocked vehicles and sheds in rural areas, so in this case, a shed was targeted."
