concerned: Joseph Cooke had a laptop computer and a camera stolen from his unit. Photo: Barry Smith 060912BSF01
A DISABILITY pensioner who was the victim of a break and enter in August says he’s concerned by the number of break-ins in Tamworth.
Joseph Cooke, 59, left his South Tamworth Housing Commission flat on the afternoon of August 23 for a few hours to visit a friend.
Returning home about 7pm, he noticed lights were on in the bedroom and lounge and said he knew instantly someone had been inside.
His $3000 Dell laptop computer was gone, along with an Olympus camera, valued at more than $1000. It had been given to him by a late friend.
“My entire family history was on that laptop,” Mr Cooke said.
“The camera didn’t cost much, but it was the sentimental value of it.”
The thieves gained entry by propping a ladder against the wall of the building and removing the kitchen window security screens.
Mr Cooke said he’d had concerns about the flat’s security since he moved there in 2009, and as a registered firearms owner, his concerns had intensified.
“I told the Housing Commission when I moved in that I was worried about the window screens, and it looks like I was right,” Mr Cooke said.
Tamworth police attended, taking fingerprints and giving Mr Cooke an event number, telling him they’d be in touch after their investigations.
Two weeks later Mr Cooke says although he doesn’t have his possessions back, he was happy with the police response to his situation.
“A lot of times, their hands are tied. Tamworth is a big town and they need more police,” he said.
Mr Cooke, who injured his back in a workplace accident 12 years ago, said he just wanted to get his laptop and camera back as he’d just paid the final instalment of a three-year contract.
A quiet person who doesn’t believe in revenge, Mr Cooke said he hoped the persons responsible for the theft would read the article and realise his loss.