POLICE suspect that experienced thieves are recruiting young teenage boys to commit robberies in the Nuku'alofa area.

Acting Police Commander Taniela Faletau said yesterday that the police are investigating the possibility that a group of older and more experienced thieves are behind a sudden surge of house breaking and the stealing of commercial goods by teenage boys in the Nuku'alofa area.

He said that a police patrol discovered a 15 years old boy with a bolt cutter and other house breaking tools in the early hours of the morning. The same boy had been involved in a housebreaking at Fangaloto a few days earlier, and caused the police to believe that a band of older thieves were recruiting teenage boys.

Taniela said that most people do not expect young boys in that age group to get involved in house breaking.

Theft was the predominant crime registered with 35 offences reported, with 24 house break-ins over the two weeks Christmas-New Year period.