17 Sep 2016

Arrests after police recover their stolen uniforms

7:55 pm on 17 September 2016

Two people have been arrested days after uniforms, handcuffs and batons were stolen from a Waikato police station.

Close up of a police officer at an incident on a residential street. 6 July 2016.

Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

A 24-year-old man faces several dishonesty charges, including burglary, and a 22-year-old woman has been charged with receiving stolen goods.

The arrests related to a spate of burglaries and thefts in the Te Awamutu area, police said.

On Tuesday, items were stolen from Te Awamutu police station, possibly by someone wanting to impersonate an officer.

After carrying out three search warrants in Te Awamutu and Hamilton this week, police said they had now recovered most of the stolen police uniforms, including stab-resistant body armour, two batons, handcuffs and a police identity card.

"It was as a direct result of information from the public about suspicious behaviour in the Te Awamutu township that police were able to apprehend the male offender," Area Commander Inspector Naila Hassan said.

However, they were still missing two shirts and a police tunic and asked for the public to help.