Repeated car thefts at Manawatū campus carpark

The Orchard Road carpark on the Manawatū campus has been the site of three incidents of vehicle theft so far this semester. The most recent incident occurred Monday 8 March, when a PhD students’ car was stolen and left burnt out at Victoria Esplanade. 

A Massey spokesperson said, “The amount of recent spate of vehicle thefts from the Manawatū campus carpark is unusual for any time of the year, however it is mirroring the vehicle theft trends occurring around the Manawatū area. Investigations are done by the NZ Police working with Massey Security.” 

The thief in the last incident was able to exit through the carpark barrier arms during the day without scanning a card or ticket by tailgating another car. The Massey spokesperson says the barrier arms are designed so they do not fall on vehicles that may be a longer length, stopped at the exit or slow at exiting. 

“If someone is tailgating the arm senses this as one vehicle and will stay up, however Massey Security is working with the infrastructure supplier to find a solution.” 

Massey Security had previously told Stuff that there would be several measures taken to minimise the risk of further theft, including an increased security presence as a deterrent, constantly monitored CCTV, a review of CCTV locations to ensure the best coverage, and a review of security signage to see if it was clearly visible and a deterrent.