A visiting South African rugby team must have felt they were on a hiding to nothing after first losing their match against the Chiefs and then having their hotel rooms burgled but some fast work by Hamilton Police saw the final whistle blown on the thief.
Several rooms occupied by the visiting Lions Super 14 team's rooms were broken into on Saturday night with cash and personal property amongst items stolen.
Detective Sergeant Dave Grace said within an hour of being notified of the break-in detectives were banging on a suspect's door with a search warrant in hand.
"A hotel staff member was identified as the person responsible for the theft and a search of his home resulted in the majority of items being recovered. Police received nothing other than excellent cooperation from the hotel company in this matter.
"We were able to affect a quick arrest in this case owing to the hotel's existing security procedures at the hotel and the management's relationship with Police.
Mr Grace said the Lions team had travelled to Auckland to prepare for their next match and were delighted to hear of the quick arrest and recovery of their property.
"Albeit the victims of crime the team's spokesman said they were impressed with the speed of New Zealand's Police and Hamilton detectives in particular," said Mr Grace.
"We will return the team's possessions over the next couple of days and we hope the prompt arrest of the thief goes someway to allaying any concerns they may have about Hamilton as a place to visit."
A 23-year-old Hamilton student was bailed on a charge of burglary and further charges are likely.
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