Three due in court after being sniffed out by Police Dog Unit

Three people are facing charges after being tracked down by a Waikato Police Dog Unit following a series of incidents in Cambridge early Sunday morning, October 19.

Cambridge Public Safety Team Sergeant Samantha Pettigrew said police were first called to a commercial premises on Robinson Street about 2.15am, where three people allegedly broke in and took vapes and cigarettes before fleeing in a vehicle.

Around 2.50am, officers were alerted to another incident on Brancaster Place, where residents woke to find offenders taking items from their property. A stolen vehicle was later found nearby, along with a weapon believed to have been used in the earlier burglary.

At 4.15am, Police received reports of vehicles being broken into on Thornton Road.

A Police Dog Unit picked up a scent and tracked down an 18-year-old man near Lake Te Koutu, locating several items thought to have been taken in the earlier burglary.

Two youths were tracked and arrested about 5.45am near Carters Crescent.

Pettigrew said the arrests showed strong teamwork between local police and specialist units.

“This is a great example of our policing teams working together with a coordinated approach to apprehend the alleged offenders and hold them to account,” she said.

The 18-year-old man is due to appear in the Hamilton District Court today, charged with burglary with a weapon and unlawfully getting into a vehicle.

Two young people will appear in the Youth Court at a later date.