A little help from the neighbours of Port Chalmers School led police to two alleged thieves on Monday.
Senior Constable Phil Beckwith, of Port Chalmers, said the theft from the school of items including five laptops and six digital cameras was reported to police at 7.45am.
It appeared a teacher had arrived at school, unlocked his classroom, opened his laptop and left the room, he said.
In the 10 minutes he was gone, two young men had allegedly taken the opportunity to enter and steal the laptop, and worked their way through other classrooms, stealing items, before absconding.
Police had no leads until a neighbour of the school said they had noticed a young man with a backpack on the street that morning.
When they visited the man's house, they found him in a car with the allegedly stolen goods on his lap, Snr Const Beckwith said.
Two 19-year-old men will appear in the Dunedin District Court tomorrow on a joint charge of burglary.
