A police officer who was arresting a person in New Plymouth this afternoon turned around to find their car had been nicked.
The police car was stolen in Spotswood, New Plymouth at around 4.30pm, a police spokeswoman said.
"The incident happened while an officer was in the process of arresting a person. While the officer was occupied a different person has stolen the police car," the spokeswoman said.
The car was recovered within 10 minutes thanks to help from a member of the public, she said.
The person who stole the car has not been found but police are making inquiries, she said.
In October, a police car was stolen in the Bay of Plenty, reportedly by a person who was handcuffed in the back of the car at the time.
The person alleged to have taken the car, 18-year-old Maaki Emery, evaded police for three weeks before being arrested.
Emery appeared in court on Monday facing five charges, including three related to the car being taken.
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