Police are praising the effectiveness of Whangarei's closed-circuit TV system after they say two youths were caught stalking and robbing two women.
Acting Sergeant Anthony Willemse, of Whangarei police, said a volunteer manning the monitors of the system's downtown cameras about 10.30pm on Saturday became suspicious of the actions oftwo males.
Mr Willemse said the volunteer saw the two allegedly stalking two women who were believed to have just left a restaurant. The volunteer watched them follow the women along Cameron St and into Rust Ave, where they separated in an effort to corner the women, he said.
Mr Willemse said the women - believed to be in their 40s - realised they were being followed and ran off, pursued by the youths.
After separating the women one of the youths had tried to pull a handbag off one of them.. However, the woman had refused to let go and fended the man off.
The two teenagers had then taken off up Bank St and they were seen running into Laurie Hall Park, where police caught them. At the Whangarei Police Station one of the youths was found to have a screwdriver in his pocket and a pipe for smoking cannabis in his backpack.
Mr Willemse said one of the teenagers admitted the pair had been intent on robbing somebody - to get money for a cab fare home to Tikipunga.
The women were shaken by the attack, but neither suffered any injuries.
A 17-year-old was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery, possessing an offensive weapon, the screwdriver, and possessing utensils for smoking cannabis. An 18-year-old was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery and both were to appear in the Whangarei District Court this week. Mr Willemse said the two arrests showed the value of having CCTV cameras as a crime deterrent.
"This is exactly why we have the CCTV cameras in town. We've recently added a few more and they really helped in this situation," he said.
The CCTV cameras are monitored around the clock by volunteers at the Whangarei Police Station.
