Police have collared a safe-breaking crook – with a little help from Facebook.

A 21-year-old apprentice was arrested in Queenstown today after police posted footage of him trying to hack into safe on the popular social networking website.

Constable Sean Drader thanked all those involved with what he labelled the first Facebook arrest.

“He was identified from members of the public viewing him on Facebook, and also seeing him on TV after the Facebook images were displayed on the news.”

The man, who got too hot while trying to break into a safe and removed his balaclava, had revealed his face to a hidden security camera, providing police with some Facebook worthy snaps.

He is due to appear in Queenstown District Court tomorrow.

The man broke through the ceiling of the Frankton Arms Tavern, near Queenstown, between 5am and 6am yesterday and spent about an hour, using an angle grinder and crowbar, trying to break into a safe containing the bar's poker-machine takings of about $20,000.

His attempt failed, but police hope the footage will help catch him

Constable Sean Drader, who set up the station's Facebook site last month, said: "I've never met a burglar that I thought was bright. I'm pretty sure someone will recognise him."

Two men were spotted leaving the scene. The other man was thought to have passed things through the roof.

Drader said it was unusual to obtain footage of a burglar in action.

"He can't be too experienced because he's pretty young."

The bar's assistant manager, Mel Kelly, said she was shocked to find the roof had been kicked in and the safe damaged.

"We went downstairs and looked at surveillance and, sure enough, a young-looking fellow had busted through the roof and had all the gear to do the job at cutting through the safe," she said.

"He was a very silly young boy. The room is really small and it gets really hot in there at the best of times.

"Clearly, he didn't realise there was a video camera there till the last moment.

"He looks round and sees it and there's just a shocked look of `gutted'. His face definitely drops."

Staff at the bar did not recognise the man, but Kelly suspected he was a former employee because of his knowledge of the property.

Tavern security would be upgraded to include a sensor-triggered alarm in the office, Kelly said.

The video can be seen at www.facebook.com/pages/Queenstown-Police/36732244172.