A senior Waikato police officer says today's arrest of a gang member is testament to the effectiveness of the public reporting suspicious behaviour, despite his attempts to flee arrest at high speed.
Strategic Operations and Planning Officer, Senior Sergeant Freda Grace, said events began about 11am when officers went to a Nawton address searching for stolen property.
"A 33-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman at the address climbed over a fence where they had a Subaru Impreza waiting and fled off at high speed.
"Officers pursued the driver for about two minutes but given the extreme speeds and nature of the offender's driving, the pursuit was abandoned."
Ms Grace said because Police believed they knew the identity of the driver they instead sent responding units to his home in Enderley and other properties he is associated with.
"As a result, when calls came in from members of the public of suspicious activity in the neighbouring Chedworth area, members of the Tactical Safety Team were on hand to investigate.
"The stolen Impreza was found abandoned on Bernard St and another call came in from the public about a man and a woman acting suspiciously up a driveway."
Ms Grace said the pair were reported as being on Rutherford St, heading towards Chedworth Ave.
"Members of the public were updating our staff via 111 as the offenders climbed fences between properties, ending up on adjoining streets as our officers worked to establish fluid cordons.
"As a result of these reports the man was arrested on Lamont St while a call was received about the woman hiding at the rear of a Tudor Cres property and she was apprehended a short time later."
Ms Grace said the man faces charges on existing warrants for drug and breach of release conditions and will face additional charges including possession of methamphetamine utensils, burglary, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, two counts of reckless driving and two failing to stop.
The woman has been bailed on a charge of unlawfully being on a property and further charges are being considered.
"The pair's arrest highlights the effectiveness of a co-ordinated response of pursuits and though offenders may think they can avoid capture by driving in a dangerous and erratic manner, if we have the support of the public relaying timely and accurate information, their arrest is inevitable.
"This morning, accurate information from the public enabled us to effectively manage a moving scene with the offenders' movements requiring frequent adjustments of cordons, but in the end they were up against an unbeatable combination, Police and a concerned community."
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