Browsing tag: theft

So I didn’t blog about this (I don’t think) but I did mention on Twitter. Last weekend the little shit from down the road who was involved in a)throwing bottles at us a few other weeks back and b) burgling us over the summer, came into our house. Yes, literally, came into the house, into an empty bedroom (I was in mine and everyone else was in the third bedroom) nicked off with the Xbox and gapped it. One of the flatties heard him and chased him out to the street, but I guess little nogoods like him have plenty of experience running from crime scenes and consequently have extremely overdeveloped little legs.

It was just absolutely unbelievable that he came INTO the house. While we were there. Incredibly ballsy, or stupid, I don’t know.

ANYWAY. Flattie recognised him from school. We got out the yearbooks and IDed him and once we knew his full name, the cops were able to get a search warrant and go around there. They found the Xbox in his room, and apparently he’s now in the cells (and will be till Tuesday, bless Queen’s birthday weekend!)

Cops said they couldn’t do anything about the laptop and cameras he took from us in the summer, but I just wanna see him go down.

Police finally got something right, and did something useful, for a change!

But seriously. It’s so frustrating for you to know that someone who lives around the corner has something of yours in their house, and you cannot legally do anything about it. We had all the details to the cops by Sunday (the day after it happened) and only yesterday (Friday) did they apparently arrest him for stealing and breaking and entering.

Oddly enough, the same weekend we got robbed, my family went up to Whangarei and had their car stolen. In Whangarei. Of all places! A 20year old Ford Laser; hard a WRX or RX7. The police even reckoned they knew who probably did it (okay, bad grammar alert)

The friends they stayed with were kind enough to drive them back to Auckland, luckily, and were even nice enough to send back $20 for me. They don’t even know me! The wife met me once. Husband wouldn’t know me from a stray dog. But I appreciated it very much. Unromantic as it is, and as much like my mother as it sounds, I really do think money is the best gift of all (well, except when it’s form your significant other). I’m sure I’ll think  differently when I’m well off and more established in life, but for now that’s the cold truth.

Is it just an Asian thing? I must find out. Rellies always give small amounts of money on visits, it’s sort of the done thing. I’ve never really thought to ask anyone else. What’s also nice is she’s Asian and he’s Scottish, and the reason I think it’s nice is sure, I know tons of mixed race couples and often see random ones around (and occasionally their adorable offspring, whom I stare at) but I know of none who are married. It’s not like I need validation. I just think it’s nice. It sets a precedent for me, maybe? And hopefully if the whanau like those two maybe they won’t take it too hard when I marry a big white westie.

Just as I was feeling better; it’s just stuff we’ve lost after all, life will go on. So on Monday I realised that my cameras were also missing. My crappy digital (no big loss, I wanted a new one at some point anyway) and my film SLR (well, my photography days are probably over, and as much as I loved my Minolta film SLRs aren’t worth jack these days).

Yesterday the little homies came out for the first time since Sat afternoon. The hoodlums were hanging around across the street as they do. Strutting around. Wearing my camera case slung across one of their shoulders. We watched them for awhile, squinting through the blinds. I have terrible eyes even with my contacts in, but it’s a very distinctive case. It’s a big bulky pouch with shoulder strap. Black and spewy-grey with the top folded over and a buckle. Inside it has two compartments, the larger on the left and the smaller on the right for my USB cable and batteries.

Honestly, we couldn’t believe it. How freaking stupid! That’s not brazen, it’s just foolish. Even I would know better than to parade around stuff I’d just stolen in front of the house I stole from. BF and flatmate went out to speak to them. They squealed “What did we do!” the second they spotted them and ran into their house. Yeah…

An innocent person wouldn’t run. And what exactly was it they “didn’t do”? Oh, and their mother came out to yell “Leave them alone, they didn’t do it”. Yeah…

I think they gathered all their cronies together down on the corner later. And sent their dog over to bark at us on our driveway. Unfortunately it was after hours for dog control services by then.

It was sort a stand off, we hung out at home, they didn’t come back out. We plotted fun ways to sort them out, like explosives on their roof (it’s low down and easily accessible from the walkway next to it), sniping them with our hunting rifle, or bow and arrow, etc.

Rung cops back to inform them we’d seen them with our property. Not sure what next. Haven’t heard back.

Wow, it’s like a gang war! I really could do without these dramas in my life.

Our house got broken into on Saturday night.

I no longer have a laptop. That’s all they took though, that and a set of keys that were on the couch just outside our room.

I’m totally unimpressed. I’m no right winger but I do believe in hard work and earning your way. I’ve worked hard to get where I am, I work hard to get the things I have (what few there are…). So in my mind it’s really not on to steal from others. If you want something that bad, get out there and work for it yourself!

Yet I was pretty calm. And I haven’t been too upset really, surprisingly…just kinda resigned. Brings me right back to my first ever flat where my phone was stolen the first night there. I just feel really violated by the whole thing. I mean, someone’s been in my room. Looked at my stuff. Taken something of mine. BEEN IN MY FREAKING BEDROOM WITHOUT ME KNOWING AND NOT BENG THERE!

Phew. Anyway, have moved my guitar and amp out of the house. We also had BF’s lil bro’s PS3 but in a diff room. Thank god. I am so relieved that wasn’t taken, because imagine if it had…it was brand new and we could not afford to replace it.

It’s rare that we’re all out at once. During the week, sure, but during the weekend normally at least one person is home most of the time. But all of us were out Saturday night. Got home at nearly 3, went into my room, noticed the conspicuous absence of my laptop on my desk.

But aside from that, we don’t actually have that much of value!  Which I guess is good. I just can’t believe how dumb they were. They didn’t take our new DVD player, while the box was out on the floor. As was the PS3 box, but they obviously didn’t go and look for it. Our gain.

Pretty gutted we’re not insured. I was all set to get contents insurance back in November – had got three different quotes and everything. Then BF more or less got laid off. That fell down the list of priorities like a rock. Gonna get onto that real soon though. Still, it was just the laptop, so would have had to pay my excess anyway. I plan to get a cheapie this time, probably $600 or so (not much more than an excess woulda been!) Also, doubt they would have paid out given that our windows don’t work properly. And that’s how they would have gotten in.

We told the landlord we want those windows fixed up so they shut and lock. Tightass didn’t want to pay for new locks, “not his fault”. Well of course, it’s not ours either! But these guys got in and took my computer and flatmate’s keys because our windows don’t work, and that IS your responsibility. Whatever, we’ll pay for the new lock if he sorts the windows and gets the alarm going.

Worst of all we pretty much know who it was. Let’s hark back to my entry about how we live in the ghetto. I understand life is not easy for some. That’s doesn’t give you the right to be a little shit. And their parents need to take some freaking responsibility. There are three little hoodrats (BF’s awesome word, I use gangster/hoodlum) who recently have taken to hanging around our street. Mainly outside the house diagonally opposite ours. One of them lives there and the others live down by the corner/around the corner. They loiter, drink, glower at people, and sometimes yell out things. Last Sunday I’m pretty sure they were saying something to us as we pulled in home but we ignored them. And as we all left on Saturday night they also called out something (something genius like “what you looking at?”) One of them goes around with a bandanna over his face. Yeah, I know. And we haven’t seen them loitering outside since Saturday night. Coincidence?