Radar thieves try ruse to win reward

A man who offered $5000 to catch whoever stole radar detectors from his family's cars suspects the culprits have called him to trick him out of the reward.

Mick Quin, of Hawkes Bay, tried to catch the thieves after the window of his wife's Porsche was smashed and a $1200 detector stolen in Palmerston North last week.

The next night Mr Quin lay in wait in the back of his own Audi in the same street at about the same time. Within minutes of parking, two young men broke the window and stole his detector.

Yesterday he said he had received several calls in response to a reward notice he placed in the local newspaper.

But he said he was not convinced some of the callers were not the thieves trying to cash in again on their crime.

"I'm reasonably sure as to who we're dealing with now," he said. "The same two names keep coming up."

He has asked callers for more proof on the identity of the thieves.

Asked what he would do once he was positive, the martial arts black belt said: "I'd just like to have a wee talk to them, I guess."

Mr Quin said the break-in happened so quickly that a friend he had arranged to back him up had not even arrived. He chased the thieves on foot but they got away. He believes he would recognise them.

His wife, Deborah, who was on the phone to him when the window was smashed, called 111. Instead of sending a patrol car, police called him on his cellphone, but he had left it in the car while giving chase.

Asked whether he would advise police, he said he would, although he is convinced they are less sympathetic to car break-ins where radar detectors are the target.

Palmerston North area commander Inspector Pat Handcock denied that, but questioned why motorists had radar detectors in the first place.

A spokesman for the police communications centre, Inspector Kieran Kortegast, said police and Mrs Quin did not realise Mr Quin had chased the offenders. He should have called 111 himself. Mrs Quin disputed that yesterday, saying that was the reason she called 111 rather than her husband.

Inspector Kortegast said people trying to trap criminals put themselves at risk of harm or even civil lawsuits.

- additional reporting NZPA