| Prime Minister Helen Clark has cautiously welcomed a $200,000 reward for the return of about 100 war medals stolen in the Waiouru War Museum heist at the weekend.
Lord Michael Ashcroft, owner of the world's largest collection of more than 40 Victoria Crosses, today said he was shocked by the theft of the medals and offered a $200,000 award for information leading to their return.
Miss Clark today said the offer was generous, but she would need to take police advice on it.
"One of the issues that always arises is whether you should encourage the posting of such offers because it could in the worst of circumstances be an incentive to theft," she told reporters.
"On the other hand the offer is obviously made on very good faith and I'd like to get police advice on that."
Defence Minister Phil Goff said he had asked police to process and implement the offer, but most New Zealanders would not need the money as motivation.
"For most New Zealanders that reward won't be necessary. They will provide the information if they know anything that will help the police," he told reporters.
"But for some people that may be the incentive that is required especially if there is any connection with the offenders so we've thanked him for that offer."
Mr Goff again appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
National has called for security at military museums to be reviewed, but Mr Goff said that was already happening.
He said he had asked the Defence Force to make sure it was following best practice from around the world in regard to its security arrangements.
But he said he was not in favour of showing replicas as a security measure.
"What New Zealanders want to see is not a replica of a medal, but the real thing.
"It would be a shame if this sort of incident meant we had to keep the real medals in vaults where they would never be seen. That would defeat the purpose."
He reiterated that he believed the heist, which took just four minutes, was a professional job, possibly to fill an overseas order.
POLICE TO QUESTION EVERYONE IN WAIOURU
Inspector Steve Mastrovich of Ruapehu said more than 20 officers were in Waiouru yesterday, with more staff to be drafted in today.
Police would try to talk to everyone in Waiouru, about 500 people.
Medal dealers and collectors everywhere would be alerted to Sunday's theft.
A medal expert at Dunbar Sloane Auctions said the theft was one of the largest of its kind in the world. He estimated the Victoria Crosses alone would have a market value of more than $5 million.
VC's had sold in recent years for about $500,000 and Charles Upham's unique double VC would be worth far more than that.
But the stolen medals would be impossible to sell on the open market because there were so few collectors and everybody knew who they were.
Michael Maxton, of Britain's Ashcroft Trust and an expert on the Victoria Cross, speculated the medals were likely to be held for ransom.
The trust cares for a tenth of the 1357 VCs awarded since 1856.
Dr Harper said there was still a black market for medals - "some people have a lot of money and not all have the ethics which preclude them from buying something stolen".
Army Museum executive trustee Don McIvor said a reward was not being offered at this stage but an incentive could be considered later.
The Defence Force's insurance covered the museum and the insurer had been contacted, he said.
New Zealand's newest VC recipient, Corporal Willie Apiata, said the theft was distressing. He urged the public to help police recover them.
"The families of those who were awarded the missing medals have been robbed of a personal connection to their loved ones and New Zealand has been robbed of the link," he said. |