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
