Police have arrested three people just 40 minutes after a rented tourist bus in Otago was ransacked and around $30,000 of belongings taken.
The quick response was thanks to CCTV footage from the bus and live GPS tracking.
Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond told Newshub about 9:45am on Sunday police received a report of a bus in Shag Point, Palmerston being broken into, with at least a dozen wallets and bags stolen, many of which had passports inside.
"The total amount of property stolen has been estimated to be around $30,000," he said.
"CCTV footage from the bus assisted police in identifying two suspects from Christchurch, who had failed to return a rented van.
"With live GPS tracking, Timaru Police were able to locate the van and arrest the three occupants."
A 26-year-old woman, a 28-year-old man and a 34-year-old man are due to appear in Timaru District Court on Monday.
The trio are facing a range of charges including unlawfully taking a motor-vehicle, theft, and wilful damage.
"It would be good to swap the tourists and send those criminals back overseas," Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher laughed.
He told Newshub it was a "fantastic response from police sorting this out and getting everything back to the tourists".
"It can be devastating when you're travelling and someone rips you off like that."
Kircher said unfortunately it happens sometimes that there are opportunists "preying on people who least expect it" like visitors, adding that it can often leave a "bitter taste".
However, he said locals in the Otago district pride themselves on looking after tourists to the region.
In this case, the best result was catching the alleged offenders and getting belongings back to the victims, he said.
"Hats go off to police for their fine work."
When asked about tourism in the region post-COVID, Kircher said some areas were back around similar levels while other parts of the region were still getting there.
He said there's been a good cross-section of visitors flocking into town, including from China, Europe, Australia and the US.
"It's certainly bounced back well," he said.
"A lot of New Zealand will be hoping for a reset [on tourism]… we continue to develop an offering that encourages people to do that."
Kircher noted the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark and wildlife as drawcards to the region.
