5 May 2023

Arrests following burglaries in Wellington, Waikato and Auckland

6:49 pm on 5 May 2023
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Photo: 123rf.com

Police have reported a bonanza of arrests in separate burglary cases in Wellington, Waikato and Auckland, and have recovered a military uniform reportedly stolen from an ANZAC Day display.

Wellington arrest after restaurant burglaries

A man was arrested on 11 charges following burglary incidents at a number of Wellington restaurants.

Hutt Valley Tactical Crime Unit supervisor Detective Sergeant Richard Orr said the arrest was made on Friday following a search warrant in Moera.

It followed investigations into 11 restaurant burglaries in the Wellington region over the past month.

The 27-year-old was due to appear in Hutt Valley District Court on 11 May on 10 charges of burglary and one charge of party to burglary.

Orr said the investigation was ongoing and further arrests could not be ruled out.

Three arrested in separate Waikato cases

In the last few days officers arrested two people in separate cases connected to burglaries and one in relation to a stolen military uniform, Waikato West area response Manager Leo Belay said.

On Friday morning, he said officers carrying out a search warrant in Huntly arrested a 23-year-old with warrants for his arrest, and who police were seeking as part of an investigation into a rural burglary where motorbikes were stolen.

The 23-year-old scheduled to appear in Hamilton District Court on Saturday on charges including burglary, escaping custody, dangerous driving and possession of cannabis.

On Thursday afternoon, police investigating a uniform reported stolen from an ANZAC Day display found it while carrying out a search warrant at a house in Huntly, where they also found 'unrelated firearm parts', Belay said.

"The uniform was of sentimental value to the family, as it belonged to their son who had worn it on deployment and who is currently deployed on overseas operations," he said.

One person was arrested in connection to the case, and police were still considering charges.

Early on Thursday, officers responded to reports of a burglary in Huntly at a commercial property.

"A man was located inside the store, who attempted to flee but was apprehended by a police dog handler," Belay said.

The 25-year-old was arrested and charged with burglary and escaping custody, he was due to appear in court on 1 June.

"These results further demonstrate that we do not tolerate this type of offending and we will continue to pursue those who choose to commit crime in our communities," Belay said.

Three arrested in Auckland after stolen items tracked

Meanwhile in Auckland, three men between the ages of 29 and 36 have been charged in relation to an alleged burglary at a property on Patterson Avenue in Mission Bay around 4am on Thursday, 4 May.

When police arrived at the property, the victims provided a brief description of those involved as well as a tracking location of one of the items taken.

Police said this was a "key link" and saw police locate the alleged offenders less than an hour after the incident.

They were taken into custody and appeared in Auckland District Court. They will reappear later this month.

Auckland City east area prevention manager Inspector Rachel Dolheguy said the arrests were a "fantastic result" in which the victims had worked closely with police.

"From immediately reporting the incident to the victims liaising with police early to provide information, we were able to locate those believed to be involved extremely quickly.

"We hope these arrests provide the community with reassurance that police are actively responding to calls to service as they arise and holding those responsible to account."

Dolheguy said it was important to notify police as soon as possible after an incident.

"If it is happening now or has just happened, please call 111. To report an incident after it has occurred, please get in touch via our 105 service."