A man who broke into a vacant property to remove and steal a door on Friday night has been charged with burglary.
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Alert neighbours reported a man coming and going from the Hamilton property after seeing him shining a torch around the Kenna Street home.
The 33-year-old Hamilton man also stole two drawers, screws and hooks from the vacant property.
Hamilton police Sergeant Paul Stanhope said it was a premeditated theft and the man would have stolen more items had police had not been called.
He said police received the call 10.55pm and attended to find the man walking away with the internal door. He was arrested a short time later.
“This guy’s thought ‘an abandoned house, beauty’, Sergeant Stanhope said. “He’s done this stuff before. He just picks his mark and starts thieving, pilfering stuff that should be nailed down and taking doors.
“After 33 years in the job some of this stuff does still surprise me.”
Sergeant Stanhope said the man had “tools of the trade” with him. “It’s called going equipped to steal. If you’re walking around with tools obviously he’s used them (to break in).
“He was coming and going to get more (items) so it’s good that people in the community ring us and tell us at the time.”
Sergeant Stanhope said they had reports of thefts from building sites from time to time.
“We do get a bit of it. People going looking for scraps and pieces. It’s to raise money for drug habits or to get money quickly, to hock it.
“People are unpredictable these days and we encourage people if they see anything out of the ordinary to contact police.”
The man has been bailed to appear in Hamilton Magistrates Court on October 3.
