Thursday, January 15, 2009

Burglar caught after cops post footage on Facebook

WELLINGTON, New Zealand—Police in New Zealand nabbed a burglar after posting security camera footage of him trying to crack a bar's safe on the Internet networking site Facebook.

Police said it was New Zealand's first such Facebook arrest and said they would use the site again to fight crime, as law enforcement officials and lawyers increasingly turn to online networks for purposes other than their original ones to provide social interaction.

"Facebook was very, very handy, and it's a good little tool," Senior Sgt. John Fookes of Queenstown police told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The burglar, wearing a face-covering balaclava and carrying a bag of tools, broke into a tiny storage room inside the Franklin Tavern in the tourist town of Queenstown early Monday and tried to cut into a safe containing $12,000 (NZ 20,000) in takings from gambling machines.

After nearly an hour in the cramped space, the burglar removed his balaclava and gloves and looked around -- red-faced from fruitless toil. As he left, the video shows the man suddenly spotting the lens of the security camera that was recording his every move.

Boston Globe - Full Story

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