Property crimes, thefts and burglaries are increasing across the country after they went down during the pandemic.
Police have said they're working to bring the rates down, but Victim Support said the trauma of these crimes can last years.
Snatching courier packages that aren't theirs is one of many tactics employed by thieves.
Luckily the occupier of the home grabbed their package from the letterbox as soon as it was delivered because shortly after a thief who'd been following the courier pulled up in the drive hoping to get lucky.
Christchurch home security cameras have caught hundreds of thieves prowling through the night.
One man loitered on a property as the owner slept, then terrifyingly tried to open the ranch slider.
Burglaries and thefts are on the rise around the country, from ram raids to property theft.
"We've certainly seen an increase in the last 12 to 18 months," Superintendent Lane Todd told Newshub.
It's the most invasive thefts that are up.
"We have seen an increase in dwelling burglaries which is your home - residential," Supt Todd told Newshub.
"In terms of thefts we're certainly seeing an increase in unlawful taking which is theft of a vehicle and also theft ex-car which is breaking into a car, that's increased substantially over the past three to four months."
The statistics speak for themselves. From last August to this August property crimes were well up.
Nationally they were up by over 28,000, Auckland was up by nearly 11,000, Christchurch was up by 5633 and Wellington did slightly better with just over 1000.
Youth offending is also on the rise and police said their main focus is prevention but insist they are constantly working on new ways to bring the rates down.
"We use various means of evidence which we won't talk about publicly," Supt Todd said
Newshub has spoken with eight burglary victims in Christchurch but none of them wanted to appear on camera. Many told us they're still traumatised by the invasion of their home and are trying to move on.
Victim Support's James McCulloch said people shouldn't underestimate the impact of these crimes and should seek support.
"It's that sense of intrusion this is a safe space where people feel they can rest and relax and someone's come into that when they haven't been invited - I think it's even worse when they've been there as well," McCulloch said.
