No decision on farmer who fired warning shots at burglars

A Waikato farmer who fired two warning shots over the heads of petrol thieves and held them until police arrived, has yet to hear if he will face charges.

The Morrinsville farmer found the two men allegedly stealing petrol from his farm 10 days ago.

As the pair tried to flee the farmer blocked their way with a farm vehicle before firing two warning shots from his shotgun and ordering them out of the vehicle.

A neighbour came to the farmer's aid and they detained the two men until police arrived.

The pair later appeared in Hamilton District Court on burglary charges and were remanded.

The farmer won wide support from people in the area and other farmers, frustrated at the high level of thefts from their properties.

But police said today they were still considering if the farmer would be charged.

Detective Sergeant Greg Nicholls from the Hamilton CIB, said it was a sensitive issue and police wanted to be sure they made the right decision.

He said they were still waiting for a forensic report from the scene and when that arrived it would be discussed with the crown solicitor in Hamilton.

"Because of the ramifications of a decision it needs to be dealt with fairly carefully."

He said police were aware there was a lot of local interest in the police decision.

"That's why I need to do things correctly. The ramifications of us going one way or the other are quite wide-reaching so it has to be the correct decision," Mr Nicholls said.

Livestock agent Regan Craig said last week the community was behind the farmer and most farmers would do what he did to protect his property.

- NZPA