KEY POINTS:
An off-duty policeman did not let being naked stop him from nabbing a man from trying to steal his wife's car.
The Balclutha policeman was woken by his wife early in the morning when she heard noises outside their home.
"The officer rolled over and recognised the sound of a starter motor turning over," police magazine Ten One reported.
The officer leapt from bed "completely starkers".
He grabbed a torch and raced outside to grab the offender, who had managed only to roll the car a short distance out of the carport.
The offender bolted with the officer in hot pursuit, the magazine report.
The officer's wife, more suitably attired, came out to help and when the offender ran into her, she grabbed him by the collar.
The policemen arrived moments later and ordered the man to the ground.
"The offender...startled by the sight of a naked constable with just a torch coming towards him, took off."
He dropped two bags he carried and fled into the darkness, only to be picked up soon afterwards by a police patrol.
- NZPA
