Three teens broke into an Upper Hutt racecourse to find a police patrol dog course that happened to be training there.
Police said the offenders forced entry into the main grandstand at Trentham Racecourse at 1.30pm yesterday and were spotted by a racecourse worker who contacted the nearby Police Dog Training Centre.
Dog training instructor Sergeant Josh Robertson quickly co-ordinated the trainee dog handler teams and the local public safety team to surround the building with the offenders still inside.
Robertson also liaised with the responding dog handler on duty, Constable Logan Menzies.