Police have delivered a dose of reality to an alleged burglar in Papatoetoe overnight.
Senior Sergeant Steve Albrey, Counties Manukau West Response Manager, says alarms were activated at the pharmacy on Great South Road at around 1.46am.
"Our staff deployed to the business and confirmed an offender had gained entry through the rear of the building."
A Police dog handler attended the scene and was soon tracking to a nearby property.
"At the property we have recovered bottles of perfume that had allegedly been stolen from the pharmacy," Senior Sergeant Albrey says.
"Meanwhile, one of our frontline units conducting area enquiries located a woman in the nearby area and she was spoken to."
Police arrested the woman, and the 21-year-old has since been charged with burglary.
She will appear in the Manukau District Court today.
"It is pleasing we have been able to recover items stolen from the business," Senior Sergeant Albrey says.
"Police will continue to deploy a range of resources to respond to this sort of offending so that we can hold offending to account."
