Wellington District Police arrested five people for burglary this morning following reports of suspicious behaviour from Castlepoint residents.
At approximately 3:15am, a member of the public contacted Police to report a possible burglary. The resident had seen a number of people moving items from a vacant property in the Jetty Street area and he called Police as they were leaving.
Just two minutes later, another caller contacted Police to report a suspicious vehicle driving down Jetty Street. The caller had been behind the suspicious car for some time and gave the Police communicator a detailed description of the car and the direction it was heading.
Area Prevention Manager for Masterton, Senior Sergeant Gordon Crawley says Police were immediately dispatched to the area to search for the car.
By approximately 5am, the car was located and pulled over before a search was completed.
“A large quantity of alcohol, drug utensils, tools and a flat screen TV were located in the car. We believe some of this property was stolen from the Castlepoint address,” says Senior Sergeant Crawley.
“This find is the result of neighbours looking out for each other and the thorough work by local officers.
“We would like to thank those who called Police in the early hours of this morning. With community help like this, everyone is helping to prevent further victims of burglary.
“We are still working to establish where these offenders were throughout the rest of the night and we would still like to hear from anyone who may have witnessed other suspicious activity.”
Any reports of suspicious behaviour last night between Masterton and Carterton, possibly involving a white car, should be reported to Masterton Police Station on 06 370 0300.
Five males have been arrested for burglary. They remain in custody while enquiries are ongoing.
Police remind residents who are away from their homes to notify neighbours so that they can keep a watchful eye on your property.
Further information on setting up a Neighbourhood Support Group can be found here. Advice on keeping your property safe can be found on the New Zealand Police website here.
ENDS
Police Media Centre