Napier teens Shamus Paramore and Zhan Te Ngahu were at the Napier Pump Track when they saw some boys rifling through a handbag. When the other boys hurriedly left, dumping the bag and taking items including an iPhone, Shamus and Zhan knew something was wrong and gave chase. Video by Duncan Brown
Two Napier youths are being lauded for "doing the right thing" after they stopped a group of thieves at a local bike park.
Cousins Shamus Paramore, 12, and Zahn Te Ngaru-Mewburn, 17, were riding their BMX bikes at the Marine Parade Pump Track on Christmas Eve when they spotted agroup of teenagers stealing items from a handbag.
Shamus told the Herald he saw three boys, aged around 13 to 16, suspiciously rifling through the handbag when he decided to take action.
"I ran after the person and tackled him, while the other two boys were running far in front of him," he said.
Shamus asked the thief to prove a phone stolen from the handbag was his by entering the pin number. When that failed, Shamus tried to reclaim the item.
Eastern District Police posted the "neat story about two boys doing the right thing" on their Facebook page.
Senior Sergeant David Sutherland told the Herald police appreciated the boys' quick actions.
"While we encourage people to think about the risks involved before stepping into something like this, we appreciate the quick actions of these boys, who helped make Christmas a little more cheery than it might have been for the owner of the handbag," he said.
"It also shows the importance of keeping your eyes open for any strange or unusual behaviour, and to call police as soon as you can."
The boys' grandmother Sharon Paramore said she was proud of her grandsons.
"I am really happy that they did that. Those people were on holiday so that would have been a bit of a downer for them, but to get it back, they must have been really overwhelmed."
