Three people have been charged with burglary after a search warrant was executed in Whakatāne with the support of the Armed Offenders Squad.

Whakatāne Senior Sergeant James Renwick said there was a burglary at a commercial property on Gateway Crescent in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

He said several items were taken when the offenders decamped after a security alarm was triggered.

The offenders’ movements were captured by CCTV from the premises, which assisted police investigations.

A search warrant was executed by Whakatāne Police with support from AOS just prior to midday on Wednesday at a property on Kirk Street.

“Police located two suspects at the address who were arrested. A third suspect was located a short time later. All three have been charged with burglary,” Mr Renwick said.

“A search of the address located a number of firearms and stolen property. Further enquiries from the investigation team identified a second location where police located a collection of items stolen in the burglary.”

Mr Renwick said police acknowledged the operation might have caused some inconvenience to people in and around the address being searched.

He thanked the public for their support and co-operation.

Mr Renwick said CCTV at the burglary scene was a key feature in police being able to reunite the stolen property with its owner.

"Police highly recommend all business install CCTV systems and know how to operate them.

“The activation of the security alarm demonstrates the importance of having security measures in place to deter criminals.”

Police also located a quantity of tools and other property they suspect to be stolen but have not been able to identify the owners.

Businesses are urged to record serial numbers and mark their property so they can be reunited with it in the event that it is lost or stolen.