Police dog helps catch fugitive

Police have revealed more details about the arrest of Mathew Kidman, who was on the run after removing his electronic bracelet and fled his Wellington address on Friday.

Kidman, 35, was arrested last night in the Wellington suburb of Northland.

The arrest came after an off-duty police officer spotted the vehicle Kidman was known to be driving at 5.35pm.

The officer alerted his colleagues and police converged on the area.

They chased Kidman on foot for about 100m and then with the help of a police dog, managed to apprehend him at 6.40pm.

A female associate of Kidman fled in the vehicle and was caught at 7pm after a short pursuit.

Both Kidman and the woman will appear in the Wellington District Court today.

Kidman is facing charges of absconding, receiving a stolen vehicle, driving whilst disqualified and two theft charges.

Police said it was likely that further charges will be laid.

Kidman's female associate has been charged with breach of bail and further charges may follow.

Police will be opposing bail.

Wellington District Commander Superintnedent Sam Hoyle congratulated his staff on a job well done.

"Kidman's arrest was a real team effort," he said.

"Staff across the District have been on the lookout for Kidman. The fact that Kidman was located thanks to the attentiveness of an off duty member of staff is a testament to the utmost commitment my team brings to the job each and every day.

"I know that my team has gone to great lengths and knocked on a lot of doors to gather information on Kidman and his whereabouts. That hard work has paid off. Yesterday's arrest will reassure the people of Wellington that police will pull out all the stops to bring absconding offenders before the courts and ensure the safety of the people in our community."