Five people have been arrested in the Bay of Plenty following two alleged burglaries involving fleeing drivers, police say.

At about 3.45am today police went to Tamamutu St in Taupō after a ram raid.

The offenders left the scene in another vehicle.

Police signalled the driver to stop at the end of Tumunui Rd after the vehicle was seen driving north through Golden Springs towards Rotorua but they continued.

A pursuit was not initiated, but police successfully deployed spikes on Hemo Rd at the entry to Rotorua.

The vehicle came to a stop on Clayton Rd around 4.40am, where the occupants fled the vehicle on foot and were arrested with the help of a police dog unit.

Police said in a statement today four people between the ages of 15 and 20 were due to appear in the Rotorua Youth Court today on charges including burglary, failing to stop, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, and possessing an offensive weapon.

In a second incident, a patched gang member was arrested near Kawerau after allegedly stealing a vehicle in Bay View, Napier and fleeing police.

At around 2.10pm yesterday a vehicle was reportedly stolen from a Bay View address, after the owner left the vehicle for a brief time while in the driveway while he stopped in at the house.

The alleged offender has then driven along State Highway 5 towards Taupō where it was seen driving past the Tarawera Cafe.

The vehicle was signalled to stop on SH5, however the driver continued, and a pursuit was not initiated.

Instead, police followed from a distance until spikes were successfully deployed at McKee Rd south of Kawerau, where the vehicle came to a stop and the driver was arrested.

The 41-year-old man is due to appear in the Rotorua District Court today on charges of failing to stop and burglary.

Rotorua Area Commander, Inspector Herby Ngawhika, said this was an excellent example of inter-district and inter-area communication which had led to the arrest of the offenders involved in two alleged burglaries.

“Successful plans were put in place which allowed police to resolve these potentially dangerous situations without incident.

“We will continue to work hard to hold offenders to account, and we remind people to continue to report anything unusual or suspicious to us so we can respond appropriately.”

You can report information by calling 111 if it’s happening now or via 105 either online or over the phone if it’s after the fact.

-Rotorua Daily Post