Two offenders were arrested after being caught in the act of breaking into an Alice Springs restaurant on CCTV.

Police received a report just before midnight on Monday from the CCTV monitors in Darwin after they witnessed two men throwing rocks through the window at La Casalinga in Gregory Terrace.

When police arrived they found the offenders had entered the premises and stolen 18 bottles of alcohol. One of the offenders, aged 29, fled down a nearby laneway when police arrived. He was arrested at the scene. The second offender, aged 26, was arrested in South Terrace a short time later.

Superintendent Michael Murphy said the arrests were indicative of the success of the specialist CCTV monitoring system which had been established in Darwin earlier this year.

"These cameras are now being monitored 24 hours a day and the operators are highly trained to ensure they are familiar with the areas being monitored," Supt Murphy said.

"The system enables police to be given a good description of the offenders and dispatched immediately, irrespective of where the cameras are being monitored. The result in this case means the two alleged offenders are in custody after effectively being caught in the act."

Both men are expected to be charged later today.

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