A cheeky burglar is the butt of jokes in the small Northland
town of Houhora.
Police have posted security footage of the man stealing from
the Houhora Liquor Store on Christmas Eve and say his
builder's crack may give him away. Footage, including grainy
images of his face, show he wore gloves when breaking into
the store but forgot to pull his pants up.
"I'm looking for a very large 'chippie's crack'," Senior
Constable Tracee Knowler said when posting the footage.
"The film is extremely clear and the thief will easily be
identified by everybody that knows him! He is male, very
large and with a 'crack' any decent chippie would be proud
of."
Houhora Liquor Store owner Wai Nicholson said the burglar
came in through a back door and stole three Steinlager
18-packs and two cases of Rekorderlig Swedish cider. She said
Knowler's online initiative was wonderful.
"I've had customers come in and say 'sorry to hear about your
break-in' and introduce themselves.
"I've just been blown away."
The "Buttcrack Bandit", as he has become known, is the talk
of the town.
People have phoned in tips after seeing the pictures.
Knowler said she was confident of an arrest.
- By John Weekes of the Herald on Sunday
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