Durban - Westville police have arrested a “most wanted” house-breaker and issued a warning to those living in complexes that guards and boomgates did not necessarily guarantee their safety and security.
Police on Tuesday pounced on a house-breaking suspect who was linked to more than 10 crimes.
The 23-year-old man was arrested in central Westville by two policemen who had been patrolling and conducting stop-and-search operations in the area. The man is said to have targeted complexes in the suburb in the past year.
Westville police spokesman Stephen Clarke said: “They spotted a suspect who was wanted for several house-breakings. Upon searching him, they found a digital camera and he could not explain how he had it in his possession. He was arrested, taken to Westville SAPS and detained.”
One of the man’s latest victims, local restaurateur Hudson Huang, expressed relief on Tuesday and commended police for the arrest. Last week Huang’s house was broken into while he and his family were away.
“They (robbers) got into the house through the bathroom window and stole a laptop, a digital camera and my wife’s accessory rings… The didn’t go for the major items. My wife only noticed when she got home that the house had been burgled,” he said.
“They (police) tell me the camera has been recovered. They’ve done a good job.” After the suspect’s arrest, Clarke said he had been “linked positively” by fingerprints to more than 10 house-breakings and thefts at two gated complexes in central Westville central.
Mike Myers, the chairman of the suburb’s community policing forum (CPF), applauded the arrest, saying it was an indication of the good work done by the Westville SAPS.
He attributed the success in crime reduction in the area to the hard work of the station’s management, “dedicated” officers and their effective relationship with the community.
Clarke said police had built a profile of the suspect.
“It became an exercise of diligence for the members to keep on the look-out for the suspect during the hours he operated, as it was certain that he knew he was being sought,” he said.
The man is expected to appear soon in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court. Clarke said bail could be opposed as this would give detectives time to collate all the dockets.
Westville police station commander Ellen Emmanuel said she was “extremely pleased” with the arrest and praised the arresting officers.
Commenting on the break-ins at complexes, Clarke said: “When these crimes took off, we tried to get the residents in these complexes to secure their individual homes and not leave items around in view.”
He said there was an impression that complexes were “secure”, when this was not always the case.
“The illusion of a big front wall, boom and guard is exactly that… It has no effect on the crook climbing the fence ‘at the back’, which borders on bush,” he said.
The Mercury