TWO housebreakers were arrested within moments of being spotted jumping a residential wall on the Bluff on Friday, 31 October.
At about 3.30pm a man saw two men jumping his neighbour’s wall in Marshall Avenue. He called police and gave them a description of the men. Two teams from Brighton Beach SAPS’ crime prevention unit were nearby and quickly responded. The first group, consisting of Warrant Officer Ndlovu and Constables Shabalala, Mrawu and Mngadi approached from School Road, while Constables Chiya, Mkhize, Malinga and Bhengu approached from Periwinkle Gardens in an attempt to block off all escape routes.
W/O Ndlovu’s team saw a man who fit the description. He immediately ran away, along Brighton Road towards Periwinkle Gardens when he saw the police vehicle. He ran into a nearby complex and police chased him on foot. He attempted to hide in bushes, but ran again as the police approached and was quickly collared.
The second team of crime prevention officers noticed a man acting suspiciously among a group of people at a taxi rank and determined it was the second housebreaker.
A search of the two men, aged 35 and 41, revealed housebreaking implements and items they were unable to prove ownership of. They were both arrested for housebreaking and taken to the police station, where the man who alerted police was filing a report. Surprised to see such a quick arrest, he positively identified the stolen items as his.
While the men were being charged, Cst Samu Memela determined that one of the men was wanted on another housebreaking case. Through further investigations, Cst Memela linked him to six housebreaking cases within the Brighton Beach policing area.
Both men appeared in Durban regional court on Monday, 3 November and were remanded in police custody pending further investigations.
“Brighton Beach SAPS management congratulates the crime prevention unit on their prompt response to the complaint, arrests affected and recovery of the stolen property. They also thank the community member for his vigilance and prompt reporting of the crime. Cst Memela is congratulated on linking the one suspect to six housebreakings.
Housebreakings remain a problematic crime within the Brighton Beach policing area. The arrest of suspects and solving of six cases is welcomed,” said Brighton Beach SAPS communications officer, Captain Louise Le Roux.
