[CPProt.net] New Zealand: Police are concerned that people are dealing with criminals themselves in order to recover stolen property.

[Museum Security and Cultural Property Protection (Ton Cremers)]

Don't accept ransom demands - police 
05 January 2006  

Police are concerned that people are dealing with criminals themselves in
order to recover stolen property. 


Yesterday a Christchurch car-yard operator paid a $5000 "ransom" for the
return of a rally car once used by Possum Bourne. 

Last year, a Paul Dibble sculpture was returned to a Waikanae restaurant
after a "cloak and dagger" operation facilitated by the editor of the Kapiti
Coast Observer. 

A $10,000 ransom was paid to the thieves. Police were not told of the
transaction until it had been completed. 

Police spokesman Jon Neilson said police should always be contacted if a
ransom demand is made for safety reasons. 

"We suggest people don't pay it, they need to be in touch with us because we
need to be aware of the fact a ransom's being asked. 

"That artwork in Waikanae was an example of where the police were not very
happy, and. quite rightly, that they weren't made aware of it because people
paying the ransom don't know who they're dealing with either," he said. 

AdvertisementAdvertisement"The police reaction to that was pretty much as
expected - we need to be in on it and we strongly urge people not to deal
directly with people seeking ransom." 

Police do not keep statistics for ransom demands. They are recorded under
"intimidation and threats" or "kidnapping and abduction". 

Statistics for both categories show a slight drop in recorded occurrences
between 2002 and 2005. 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/