CAN YOU PLEASE BEND OVER

It'll be an interesting identity parade if Houhora's resident police officer gets her hands on a suspect for the burgling of the Houhora Liquor Store on Christmas Eve.

Senior Constable Tracee Knowler has some grainy security camera images of the thief's face, but the sharpest photo shows him bending over, displaying a posterior that she reckons she would recognise again with no trouble at all.

"The film is extremely clear, and the thief will be easily identified by everybody who knows him," she said.

"He is male, very large, and with a crack any decent chippie would be proud of."

The burglar entered the store via a back door, appropriately enough, and helped himself to three 18-packs of Steinlager and two cases of Rekorderlig Swedish cider.

And store owner Wai Nicholson was very impressed with the response Senior Constable Knowler had attracted after posting the picture on her official Facebook page (Houhora Police).

"I've had customers come in and say 'Sorry to hear about your break-in,' and introduce themselves," she said.

The 'Buttcrack Bandit' as he was now known had become the talk of the town, and Senior Constable Knowler was confident of making an arrest, or at least an identity parade.