Eketahuna’s new CCTV cameras have helped police apprehend an alleged thief mere hours after they were installed.
The cameras reportedly led to the arrest of a man accused of going on a rampant crime spree from Masterton to Eketahuna.
On October 13, an Aramex courier van was stolen outside a Kuripuni store and was reported to be driving erratically through Masterton before crashing into a fence.
Police said the driver then stole a car, breaking through a garage door before heading to Eketahuna, where it crashed into a ditch. In an attempt to free the car, the driver then allegedly stole a quadbike from a nearby farm and tried to tow the vehicle free.
When this failed, police said the man returned to the farm and stole another vehicle.
It was at this point police used the newly installed cameras to track the man’s movements. He was then arrested behind a commercial property in the town.
Eketahuna police officer constable Jymahl Glassey said the new CCTV cameras were vital in determining the location of the alleged offender.
“Without the new cameras police would not have caught the person.
“A local family was physically confronted and threatened in the middle of the night and had their car stolen.
“Within 50 minutes of the robbery police were able to apprehend the offender hiding behind a commercial property in Eketahuna.”
The man was arrested at 1am on October 14. The cameras were installed the previous day.
Although Eketahuna has had CCTV for 15 years, the program was recently expanded through the Eketahuna Our Town Incorporated Society, a local charity.
On October 14, a 28-year-old Auckland man appeared in Masteron District Court facing a raft of charges, including five counts of entering a building without authority with intent to commit an imprisonable offence, dishonestly taking a van, and robbing a man of a Toyota Hilux.
He reappeared on October 20 where he was remanded in custody without a plea.
He is scheduled to reappear in court next week.
Newly installed CCTV captures crime spree
