Wellington police lift DNA off doughnut left at scene of burglary

It's not known why the suspected burglar left their snack unfinished at the burglary scene. File photo / Supplied

Wellington police have managed to identify a burglary suspect after extracting DNA from a half-eaten doughnut abandoned at the scene of the crime.

The clever catch was made by Police Scene of Crime Office (SOCO) staff, area prevention manager Detective Senior Sergeant Warwick McKee said.

"A burglary was reported to a Wellington Business overnight between December 17 and 18, 2020. An amount of frozen meat was stolen by the offenders," McKee said.

"Police SOCO staff attended the scene and completed a scene examination. Located was a half-eaten doughnut."

The forsaken sweet treat was seized and sent away for analysis - with great success.

"DNA was extracted and matched to a well-known Wellington burglar," McKee said.

Police are now working to find and arrest the suspected burglar.

The Herald understands the deserted dessert was an American-style sugared doughnut with a hole in the middle.