Pickpocketer of elderly men caught on camera

Police are hunting for a man who was caught on camera pickpocketing from elderly men at the library and TAB.

Waitemata police say the thefts happened on July 1 while a senior citizen was reading at the New Lynn library. His Samsung phone was in his pocket.

A member of the public quickly took a picture on their phone after seeing the man reach over and steal a phone from the victim's pocket.

Forty minutes later, the same man has gone into the Henderson TAB, where an elderly man was sitting watching television.

Soon after, the victim noticed his wallet was missing and spoke to the staff.

They reviewed security footage, which showed the man in the blue singlet removing the man's wallet from his pocket.

"We want to know who this bloke is and if he sees this I would suggest he get in touch with us as soon as possible," said Senior Constable Kevin Morgan.

"The person who took the photo in the library and gave it to us has done well to act so quickly and we're very grateful for their help"

Anyone who recognises the man is asked to phone 09 839 0600, private messaged the Waitemata Police Facebook page or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.