An alleged fuel thief and his partner have been arrested after more than 200L of diesel was siphoned from a business in Waikato yesterday.
Police said they were called to a business at Horsham Downs around 8pm after a person spotted a "suspicious character and vehicle" on a CCTV feed.
"While they were on the phone they watched as the person started siphoning more than 200 litres of diesel from a tank at the property," Inspector Andrew Mortimore said.
"The person watching all this unfold did everything right – they called 111 straight off the bat and provided really helpful information. That gave us a head start, and we got units rolling towards the property."
Mortimore said by the time the alleged thief had filled the drum and a container on his ute, officers had closed in and others were waiting nearby.
The man and woman fled the scene with police in pursuit when the ute's front tyres were spiked as the driver headed north towards Ngāruawāhia.
The vehicle, on rubberless front wheels, was travelling along Waingaro Rd when the driver lost control and came to a halt in a ditch.
The driver took off on foot but was tracked down by a police dog.
He was taken into custody and treated for a minor dog bite.
The man's associate remained with the ute, where she was arrested.
Mortimore called the arrests "a great result", adding that it wasn't the first time the property had been targeted.
"It causes a heap of pain and inconvenience, not to mention expense," Mortimore said.
"This really shows the value of having working security systems in place and contacting police immediately when something doesn’t look right."
A 32-year-old Chartwell man was due to appear in the Hamilton District Court today charged with burglary, driving while suspended, failing to stop, and dangerous driving.
A 28-year-old Chartwell woman was due to appear in the Hamilton District Court today charged with burglary.
Police enquiries were ongoing to determine whether the pair were linked to other district-wide offending.
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