COPENHAGEN, Denmark - When two Danish burglars realised someone had stolen the keys to their getaway car, they reacted like honest citizens and called the police.

Police said they were only too happy to help, and arrested them after they confessed to breaking and entering. The men, identified only as an 18 year old and a 20 year old, broke into a summer cabin late Wednesday near Kaldred, 90km (55 miles) west of capital Copenhagen. As they carried their haul to the car, they were confronted by a passer-by, who witnessed the break-in and insisted they return the stolen property. To ensure they couldn’t get away, the passer-by took the keys from their car, and refused to return them.

"The two young men then called us and said they needed their help getting their keys back,  Chief Superintendent Asger Larsen said on Thursday. He said the two realised that without keys, they would have to leave their car at the scene, which would put the police on their trail and lead to their arrest anyway.

"It’s a pretty straightforward case for us, since this time, the thieves actually reported the robbery,  Larsen said. He declined to release the names of the suspects or the passers by.