BLUE Security armed reaction officers arrested two alleged housebreakers in Morningside last week after spotting the men fleeing the scene of the crimes.
Blue Security managing director Henk Van Bemmelen said the first arrest occurred in 11th Avenue when a patrolling reaction officer noticed an alleged housebreaker climbing over the fence of a property in broad daylight.
“Our reaction officer called for back up and the suspect was cornered, arrested and handed over to the Berea SAPS,” he said.
Van Bemmelen said a reaction officer had also arrested an alleged housebreaker after he spotted two suspicious individuals walking in the street carrying hefty black bin bags.
“When our reaction officer approached the two men one of them immediately turned and fled. Our officer found two thirteen inch tyres and a wheel spanner in the bin bag. He arrested the suspect and handed him over to the Berea SAPS,” Van Bemmelen said.
He said the arrests revealed that criminals were brazenly targeting properties in the area and urged residents and business owners to be vigilant and report suspicious individuals to their security companies and to the police.
Van Bemmelen also urged residents to be especially careful when drawing cash as there was another incident last week in which a bank customer was held up in the parking lot of a business premises after he had returned from the bank.
“Two robbers, armed with a gun and a knife held up a man in Umbilo Road in broad daylight at 9.30am after he returned from the bank. A third suspect held up the security guard at gunpoint. They robbed the man of R10 700 and hijacked his vehicle,” Van Bemmelen said.
Van Bemmelen said Metro Police later recovered the vehicle in St George's Street in Albert Park.
He added that there had been several incidents of theft in Glenwood and Glenmore where criminals had broken into properties to steal items that they could easily escape with from gardens.
In one incident in Cohen Avenue criminals damaged the electric fence and flattened the property’s wall spikes to enter the garden. They then broke into the premises and fled with a bicycle. In several other incidents bicycles, clothes hanging on the line, garden furniture and copper pipes were stolen.
“We urge residents to ensure that bicycles and other valuables like garden tools are not left lying outside and to also ensure that cellphones, laptops and tablets are not left in sight near windows where they can easily be fished out,” Van Bemmelen said.
