Two men have been arrested after a burglary in Birkenhead ended with a dramatic early-morning Police operation on Hibiscus Coast Highway.

The pair had allegedly broken into a retail store on Mokoia Road, Birkenhead, around 3:30, before heading north.

Just after 4:00, a Police patrol noticed their vehicle travelling through Ōrewa.

According to Inspector Mike Rickards from Waitematā North Police, the vehicle’s headlights were switched off as soon as the pair spotted the patrol car.

“Ironically, this attracted our staff’s attention even further,” he says.

The vehicle fled but wasn’t pursued directly.

Instead, traffic cameras tracked it as it made its way towards Pūhoi.

With the Police Eagle helicopter already in the area and road spikes successfully deployed on Fowler Access Road, the vehicle was brought to a stop.

Both men then ran into nearby bushland, but Eagle directed officers on the ground to their location, leading to their arrest.

Inside the vehicle was a range of new equipment suspected to be stolen.

North Shore Police have since confirmed the Birkenhead store had been burgled just half an hour earlier.

“The Tactical Crime Unit has now charged them with burglary and are in the fortunate position of being able to return the stolen property,” says Inspector Rickards.

The two men, aged 35 and 40, are due to appear in the North Shore District Court.

For Coasties, it’s a reminder that our local Police teams are always switched on—working together to keep our community safe.

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