Police have arrested five people in the Christchurch area overnight, including two men who broke into abandoned quake-damaged houses.
Police Central District Commander Superintendent Russell Gibson said one person was caught breaching the cordon around the CBD, and two people tried to break into a bar in a quake-affected suburb.
"We've had the usual idiots who want to try it on," he said.
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Police also chased two men in possession of jewellery, who had "clearly" broken into some abandoned houses, Gibson said.
"We have them in custody. We have the jewellery and we'll be coming to the public later today to see if we can identify where it comes from."
He said police were sympathetic to business owners trying to pass the cordon and get into the CBD, but safety came first.
"We are taking business owners where it is absolutely essential. Where there is some form of service that the community desperately needs. For others, we've just got a blanket policy and you are just going to have to wait," Gibson said.
