Crime line helps nab alleged car thief

Hamilton Police say the early morning arrest of a man driving a stolen car speaks volumes for the effectiveness of a crime reporting initiative introduced to the Waikato last week.

Sergeant Darin Frost said the 25-year-old man was stopped on Cobham Drive while driving a stolen car about 4am.

"The car was seen driving without headlights so a police patrol went to investigate if there were any issues in relation to the driver.

"Earlier in the evening the owner of the car had phoned the Hamilton Central Police Station on 07 858 6200. Because the new Crime Reporting Line (CRL) was in effect the call was then directed to a call taker there as this service operates 24/7."

Frost said the call being taken by the CRL operator meant a case was created there and then resulting in real time information being available to front line staff.

"In essence, where as previously the victim would have phoned Police about the theft then been asked to come in during office hours to have the details recorded in this case all the necessary information was ready to hand.

"This information allowed our staff to apprehend the offender who will appear in court later today, it's all about enabling our staff to be in the right place at the right time to make a difference."

Members of the public can still report crimes or incidents over the front counters of Police stations however CRL allows victims to report incidents as they happen, from the comfort of their home without time consuming waits.

In addition, the creation of a case on CRL automatically generates a complaint acknowledgement form (required by insurance companies) and this form and crime prevention advice is emailed or posted out to the victim.