Police says they're avoiding confrontation, in their search for missing Marokopa man Tom Phillips and his three children

They've released CCTV footage they believe to be a sighting, of Phillips and one of the kids.

It shows a shop burglary carried out by two masked people, in the King Country town of Piopio, in the early hours of Wednesday.

Detective Senior Sergeant Andy Saunders says everyone wants this to be over, but the focus is getting the children out safely.

He says they're not going to put anyone in harms way, just to end it quickly.