KEY POINTS:
A farmer who used a shotgun to round up a couple of alleged petrol thieves this week has plenty of support and a prosecution would be frustrating for the community, a local livestock agent says.
Police said the Morrinsville farmer, who has not been named, disturbed the pair
on his property and prevented them fleeing by parking his vehicle across the driveway.
He fired two warning shots as the men tried to drive away and eventually managed to get them to lie on the ground, where they were restrained by a neighbour who came to assist.
Two Hamilton men are due to face burglary charges over the incident and police are still considering whether to charge the farmer.
Allied Farmers livestock agent Regan Craig, who lives near the property in question, said it was a hot topic at the moment and the community were behind the farmer.
"I take my hat off to him I guess," he said. "Everyone is the same. I think 90 per cent of the guys here would do it too if it came down to it."
He said there were some "toe-rags" in the area and thefts were always a concern for farmers.
"I talked to a few of the neighbours last night and they were fuming," he said.
Mr Craig said he was sure the majority of the local community would be disappointed if the farmer was prosecuted.
He said the farmer's family were well known in the region, were "lovely people" and had a high community standing.
"So I'm sure if the police prosecuted there would be a lot of people jumping up and down. I hope they don't. They work bloody hard and run a big operation on their own. This is the last thing they need on their minds at the moment."
Waikato district police spokesman Andrew McAlley said a team of experts had been brought in from Auckland yesterday to help with the inquiry.
Forensic evidence was being gathered at the property which would later be "married up" with other evidence, including statements from all people involved and ESR reports.
The farmer's wife and another person helped to confront the burglars.
It would be at least two weeks before police would make a decision over whether the farmer would be arrested or face criminal charges, Mr McAlley said.
"It's not like CSI where you have an arrest and evidence within an hour and three or four ad breaks. It'll be two weeks before we get the results of the ESR work.
