Michael Shane Hagger, Alleged Criminal, Taunts Police On Facebook Page

Criminal Comments On Police Facebook Post About Himself

Michael Shane Hagger, a man reportedly wanted in New Zealand on charges related to shoplifting, took to Facebook to taunt police after his photo was posted on their page, Stuff.co.nz reports.

According to the news outlet, the Tauhara Paetiki Neighbourhood Policing Team posted a picture of Hagger along with a request for information about his possible location. Hagger reportedly responded to the post with "hoo rah," a comment that earned 53 "likes" before it was removed.

But police took the incident in stride and said they believe Hagger's post will only make him easier to catch.

"If Mr Hagger was hoping to elude police he clearly underestimated the power of social media. By attempting to taunt police he has simply drawn national attention to himself and increased our chances of finding him," Tony Jeurissen, a sergeant with the Taupo police department told Stuff.

Already, New Zealand police have had success using Facebook to catch criminals. In 2009, Queenstown police were able to arrest a burglary suspect within 24 hours of publishing surveillance video of him on the social networking site, according to CNN.

And in 2010, it took just 34 minutes for a shoplifter to be identified on Facebook after authorities in Queenstown posted video footage of the subject.

Criminals have also been known to give themselves away to police through their own actions on Facebook. Last month, Gizmodo reported on a man who allegedly robbed an Internet cafe and was apprehended by police after they found the computer he had been using was still logged in to his Facebook account, which contained his home address.

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