Three men attempted to escape police by climbing on top of a shopping centre after they were allegedly caught breaking into businesses, police said.
At about 11pm last night, security at the Māngere Town Centre alerted police that three people had broken in.
According to police, the group allegedly broke into five businesses and took several items, including clothes and cash registers.
Acting Inspector Clint McCarthy said that when police arrived, “we witnessed a group of people climbing onto the roof inside the centre”.
Officers attempted to coax the offenders off the roof, but one jumped and tried to run away, he said.
“The Police Dog Unit, Delta has tracked the alleged offender where he was swiftly taken into custody,” McCarthy said.
The other two men “quickly surrendered” to police, he said, adding the stolen property was left on the roof and police recovered it shortly after.
Three men, aged 23, 19, and 18, will appear in the Manukau District Court today. They are charged with five counts of burglary.
“Police will continue to deploy a range of resources to respond to this sort of offending so that we can hold these people to account,” McCarthey said.
“This is a great outcome, and we acknowledge the centre’s security team for reporting offending as it was occurring, which allowed us to respond in a timely manner.”