Police identify crime suspect

Police have identified a suspect who may have robbed an elderly woman in Hawke's Bay.

A man Napier police want to speak to after an elderly woman was robbed in the city last Tuesday has been identified following CCTV images being released in the media and on the Hawke's Bay Police Facebook site.

A police spokesman described the response from the public after the image appeared on Saturday as "massive".

"The person in the photo has now been positively identified," an on-line statement from police said.

"The response has been overwhelming from the public, and from local retailers who offered their CCTV footage - it was a real community effort."

Police yesterday said the appeal had resulted in a string of calls that highlighted a particular name. That information was now being followed up.

It is understood that while police had a name to the face no arrests had been made as of late yesterday.

After police placed the "identified" notice on Facebook there was a huge response with 573 people over a 24-hour period expressing satisfaction that officers were on to the man.