The malicious action of a reckless thief has abruptly cancelled important appointments for women screening for breast cancer.
The male crook, whose images have been captured on CCTV footage, deliberately targeted and stole an essential electricity cable that powers crucial equipment for Health New Zealand’s mobile breast screening unit, sign-written BreastScreen Aotearoa.
The theft around 4.30am on Tuesday April 22 was of a three-phase electricity cable worth between $2000 to $3000 from the unit stationed at the time in the car park at the Highland Park Community House and Creche in Aviemore Drive.
“The bus requires three-phase power to operate its X-ray units that must stay on 24 hours a day while onsite,” says Jenni McCormick, Highland Park Community House manager.
“Since 2005, the mobile breast screening unit spends up to three weeks, four times a year in the Highland Park Community House car park.”
Kathy Pritchard, the Health NZ service manager for cancer screening in Counties Manukau, told the Times the cable’s theft meant mobile breast screening unit staff had to quickly cancel the appointments of 40 to 50 women who were due to be seen on April 22.
Pritchard describes the theft as “an annoying nuisance”, as it prevented “screening programmes that save lives” to proceed.
“This is just a waste of valuable health dollars. We’re out there to do good.”
She adds that it’s dangerous for the thief to remove the chunky, weighty cord, as “it’s high risk taking a high voltage cable”.
The stealing of three-phase power cables happens about “once or twice a year” in the Counties Manukau health catchment, Pritchard says, and it’s the second occurrence at the Highland Park location.
McCormick and Pritchard say the cable runs from the mobile unit to a special plug on the front wall of the Highland Park Community House, and that plug was damaged on April 22.
“It meant that instead of seeing women who had breast screening appointments, we were cancelling those and organising an electrician to repair the plug and get a replacement cable.”
McCormick says the “large three-phase power cable” connects to the Community House’s electricity supply and “the cable housing sits under the breast screen unit”.
“The cable, due to its length, is covered by a plastic sheet to stop people from tripping over or walking on it.
“As the unit is so large, it requires a decent amount of space to park up and does so between our car parks for the Community House and the Creche.”
McCormick says the same type of three-phase power cable for the X-ray machine was stolen on January 31, 2019.
She believes it’s the same male burglar who has taken the cables on both occasions, based on what CCTV images show.
“On the morning of April 22, 2025, at 4.36am a lone person, with the same walk and mannerisms of the guy, stole the 30kg X-ray three-phase power cable from the breast screen unit.
“We watched CCTV footage of him stealing the cable. His face was covered up and he wore long pants, but I’m sure he’s the same guy by the way he walked, his backpack, cap.”
Of the theft on January 31, 2019, McCormick says: “At 7.41pm, an X-ray three-phase power cable was stolen from the unit while onsite at Highland Park.
“No one was caught, although we have pictures of the possible thief checking out the site over a number of days.
“Then on the day and time it was stolen, he was seen on our office CCTV camera walking past my office.
“At the time we did not have a CCTV camera looking down on the car park where the unit was parked, so had no proof it was him.
“He has a particular way of walking, is quite slim, always carries a backpack, and wears a tight-fitting cap – this theft was in the daytime, so the images are very clear of him, including the tattoo on his right calf, as he was wearing shorts that day.”
- Pritchard and McCormick encourage anyone with any information regarding the theft of the three-phase power cable to get in contact with police, through 105.police.govt.nz, clicking Make a Report or call 105. Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers on free phone 0800 555 111. The police case file number is 250422/6460.
- Anyone who would like to make an enquiry or appointment with BreastScreen Aotearoa can free call 0800 270 200.
