Police answered an alleged car knocker¡¯s call in West Harbour overnight.
At around 2.30am, a 111 call was made about a man trying car doors of vehicles parked around Picasso Drive.
°Â²¹¾±³Ù±ð³¾²¹³Ù¨¡ West Area Response Manager, Senior Sergeant Damian Albert, says the alleged offender was disturbed after a sensor light on a CCTV camera activated.
¡°Police responded to the area and began enquiries to locate the offender,¡± he says.
A Police dog and handler also deployed to the area.
¡°The Police dog continued to track the offender¡¯s movements, and carried on for nearly a kilometre where a man was located.¡±
The 44-year-old man was quickly arrested.
Senior Sergeant Albert says the man has been charged with unlawfully being in an enclosed yard, and unlawfully interfering with a motor vehicle.
He is expected in the Wait¨¡kere District Court on 22 January 2024.
¡°This is a great example of some of the steps homeowners can take to make their properties less of an easy target for opportunistic offenders,¡± Senior Sergeant Albert says.
¡°Home CCTV is becoming more and more affordable, and even having a simple sensor light could be the difference in an offender deciding to hang around or not.
¡°I would like to acknowledge the community for their vigilance and reporting suspicious activity promptly to Police.¡±
ENDS.
Jarred Williamson/51½ÖÉä