Strange days on burglary front for police

Hamilton police were left scratching their heads this week after a burglar broke into his own mother's home, another walked into a police interview carrying stolen property and a third rang 111 to report he had accidentally been involved in a burglary.

In the case of the 111 call, a man told police he was driving along Ohaupo Rd about 1pm on Wednesday when he noticed some old friends and stopped to talk to them.

He said one of the group went to a house where an alarm had been set off and came running back, telling him to "hurry up and drive off".

The car was seen by witnesses leaving the scene.

Later the man rang police and then handed himself in to Hamilton police saying: "I think I may have accidentally been involved in a burglary."

City tactical co-ordinator Senior Sergeant Freda Grace said police were trying to verify the claims.

In a separate incident on the same day, police were called by a member of the public about a missing 16-year-old boy found at an address in Hamilton.

"When police arrived the boy was there with a number of items that he admitted stealing," Ms Grace said.

While officers were speaking to him a 20-year-old man arrived at the address, walked in and put down a jewellery box that had just been stolen in a burglary.

Both men were now assisting police in relation to several home break-ins, Ms Grace said.

Police were also called to another incident that day by a woman who said her son, who was barred from her property, had broken into the house.

"A neighbour had seen someone acting suspiciously and rang the victim," Ms Grace said.

"On arriving home the mother found a young woman she didn't know in her home.

"Her son then came out of another room and said he had broken in to cook a meal, fleeing before police arrived," she said.

The man was later arrested on burglary charges and on several outstanding warrants.