A Dunedin man will appear in court after an alleged shoplifting spree which involved boltcutters being stolen from a store and used to take a bicycle parked outside, police say.
Constable Nick Turner, of Dunedin, said a 26-year-old man believed to be responsible for almost a dozen dishonesty offences would appear in later court today.
His alleged spree ran from last Thursday until this Monday, when he was arrested, Const Turner said.
Police were grateful to members of the public who filmed the man using boltcutters to steal a bike outside Mitre 10 Mega Dunedin on Saturday.
The boltcutters had been stolen from inside the store, Const Turner said.
The man took the bicycle to Cash Converters, where he got someone else to take it inside, Const Turner said.
Police relied on members of the public providing them with information to help solve crimes.
‘‘We do rely on the public informing us,’’ Const Turner said.
If notified, officers could often intercept offenders in the middle of their illegal activities, he said.
Officers were grateful for grateful for any information they received, particularly video and photos of offences.
"Capturing someone doing something, even if it's quite minor, quite often will help link to other offences," Const Turner said.
Clothing, headphones, and a credit card were also believed to have been stolen by the man, Const Turner said.
Some businesses were unaware they had been stolen from, although they had had their suspicions, Const Tuner said. When police spoke to them "the penny dropped really quickly".
