Tables turned on burglars

A shop owner took revenge on two burglars by smashing up their getaway car with a steel pipe as they raided his West Auckland superette.

Mohommed, who did not want his surname published, and his wife were woken by the sounds of people downstairs in their shop at Woodlands Park, near Titirangi, just before 3am on Monday.

The shop alarm was triggered in the burglary and Mohommed and his wife called police for help.

Through a security camera linked to a monitor in their flat they watched the men go through the superette stealing cigarettes, sunglasses and phone cards.

Mohommed said he saw a car parked near the entrance to the shop and decided to go outside and take down the registration number.

He picked up the length of pipe for protection but once outside he said he was overcome with anger and wanted to hit the car.

He admitted his first swing was a weak attempt before a neighbour turned up and gave him "moral support". "She said 'you're not doing it hard enough'," he said. "I smashed the windscreen and the back window."

Mohommed said the burglars could not hear the smashing windows over the sound of the shop alarm.

He watched them leave with his property and said they did not speak to each other or acknowledge the car had been damaged.

"They can't be bothered. Just jumped in the car and left."

A sheepish Mohommed said yesterday that it felt good to take his revenge at the time but he would not repeat the attack.

"It was dangerous," he said.

Police would not comment on the burglary yesterday but Mohommed understood they caught up with the two men after the damaged car crashed on Scenic Drive.