Break-in was a breakout

Photo / APN

Self-respecting crims try to break out of prison. But bold thieves broke into New Plymouth Prison and pinched a plasma-screen television.

Two fire appliances were sent to the prison's administration building at 11.50pm on Friday after sprinklers were activated. New Plymouth senior station officer Steve Dombroski said fire officers arrived to find a set of curtains had been set alight and a window forced open.

Police sergeant Thomas McIntyre said a 50-inch plasma television had been stolen and it was likely the thieves had left on foot.

The prison, which houses 112 inmates, is the oldest operating jail in the country.

New Plymouth Prison manager Peter Madsen said the building was located outside the prison's secure perimeter, so the security of the prison was not compromised. But acting police sergeant Jason Langman described the theft as "brazen."

"You don't usually get people trying to break into prison," he said. "It is unusual."