Dame Susan Devoy is recovering from having her home burgled on Friday night.

Dame Susan Devoy's home was burgled on Friday Night.

Around 8pm the recently appointed Race Relations Commissioner and former squash champion arrived home after attending the funeral for her close friend's son – unaware she was interrupting a burglary taking place in her Tauranga home.

After realising her home had been burgled Dame Susan went to alert her husband leaving her two son's behind inside the house.

Soon after she left Dame Susan received a call from her son's saying they could hear the burglar upstairs.

Dame Susan phoned police who she says arrived minutes before the person escaped from upstairs.

The house was fully alarmed but the usually sensitive monitors had not activated.

Dame Susan says it was the fourth time in 18 months the family has been targeted.

Around the same time last year her house was targeted by burglars who stole the family's new 55 inch television, PlayStation and PlayStation games and iPod from the downstairs lounge.