Eyes out to help catch Whangarei thieves

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Watchful neighbours have helped lead to the arrest of two alleged burglars in Whangarei.

Whangarei police spokeswoman Sarah Kennett said three people allegedly broke into a Maunu house at about 4.20pm on Monday and stole several items, including electronic gear and alcohol.

A neighbour saw the car being used by the thieves and called police immediately, who searched the area soon after but could not locate the car.

Several hours later a patrol car spotted the wanted car and stopped it on Dent St. Officers searched the car and allegedly found the items stolen from the Maunu address, Mrs Kennett said.

After speaking with the 44-year-old driver, police searched four addresses around Whangarei, finding more stolen property. The man was then arrested for receiving stolen property. A 26-year-old woman and 22-year-old man, were located at two of the addresses and charged with burglary. They will appear in the Whangarei District Court today, Mrs Kennett said. Police are now looking for the third person involved in the burglary, she said.

Whangarei/Kaipara area commander Inspector Justin Rogers said prior to the Maunu burglary, a resident on Cemetery Rd had confronted the burglars as she thought they were acting suspiciously. She called police and gave some good details of the people in the car.

"The neighbour of the house that was burgled took photographs of the vehicle including its registration number plate and the resident on Cemetery Rd gave police some very good details of the car and offenders, which meant we had some good information to work with. Both people called police immediately. We always encourage people to report suspicious activity and give us as much detail as possible and this is a great example of where this has paid off," he said.

He said police staff also did a great job by acting with urgency in gaining as much information as possible to locate the burglars and property.

"The photograph of the wanted car was sent to the mobility devices of staff on duty and as a result one officer recognised the car when he was on his way to another incident. Within eight hours of the burglary occurring we had most of the offenders and had returned the stolen items to the victim who was very happy to get his property back," Mr Rogers said. In 2013 there was a total of 2688 recorded burglaries in Northland - at least seven every day - which was up from 2339 in 2012.