Police have charged two people following an aggravated burglary at a store in Te Kamo yesterday.
Around 10.40am, three offenders arrived at a Crawford Crescent premises in a Nissan station wagon. The vehicle had allegedly been stolen from the same street in the early hours of the morning.
Inspector Maria Nordstrom, Whangārei-Kaipara Area Commander, says the group allegedly entered the store while in possession of a knife and a crowbar.
"The males jumped across the counter and broke into a cigarette locker.
"A worker was able to leave the store and was understandably shaken, but thankfully uninjured."
After spending a minute in the store, the group then left with their stolen haul and attempted to get back into the stolen vehicle.
Members of the public intervened and the trio instead fled on foot, dropping a bag of cigarettes in the process.
A Delta dog unit was deployed to locate the offenders and tracked them to a residential garage a short distance away, which they had allegedly broken into it.
Two of the suspects were located and taken into custody. Some of the stolen property was recovered.
"Police thank the brave members of the public who attempted to stop this group.
"It is clear that, like Police, our community has no tolerance for offending that targets local retailers and compromises their safety."
Two males, aged 17 and 18, will appear in Whangārei Youth Court today, charged with aggravated burglary; unlawfully getting into a motor vehicle; and unlawfully being in an enclosed yard or area.
Police are following positive lines of enquiry in locating the third offender.
Anyone with information which can assist Police is asked to contact 105, quoting file number 261020/3836.
