Armed Response officers continue to rack up arrests during lockdown

A number of housebreaking suspects were apprehended and taken into custody and stolen goods recovered in various incidents in and around Durban since Thursday.

Thief apprehended in Essenwood, Berea, by our armed response officer.

“A suspect was apprehended in Essenwood, Berea still in possession of copper pipes that had been removed earlier,” said Blue Security community and media liaison officer, Andreas Mathios.
“The arrest followed an alert raised by a neighbour that the suspect had been seen accessing the property. A Blue Security reaction officer began an inspection of the home and discovered that the external copper pipes had been ripped off the wall,” Mathios said. “At first there was no sign of the intruder, but then the officer spotted a cellar door and decided to check inside. The suspect was discovered hiding inside the cellar with all the stolen copper pipes still in his possession,” Mathios said. The suspect was placed under arrest and handed over to the attending members from Berea SAPS.
Swift action by neighbours in the New Germany area resulted in the apprehending of two suspects who had attempted to break into a residential property on Sunday afternoon. The Blue Security Control Centre had been notified of an attempted housebreaking underway in the Berkshire area and immediately despatched reaction officers to the address. “As the officers arrived they saw members of the community in pursuit of the alleged trespassers,” Mathios said.
“The neighbours pointed out the suspects who were attempting to flee and the officers quickly apprehended and arrested the two men. Further investigation on the property revealed that a rear window was wide open with footprints clearly seen on the ground below,” Mathios said. No-one was home at the time of the incident. The suspects were handed over to Pinetown SAPS for further processing.
In a separate incident on Thursday, in the industrial area of Otto Volek Road Pinetown, a suspect was observed stealing a floodlight by security guards at a business premises. “On arrival at the scene the guards gave the reaction officers a detailed description of the man. A search ensued and the suspect was spotted and identified at a nearby service station. “The Blue Security reaction officer apprehended the man and handed him over to an attending Pinetown SAPS member,” Mathios said.
On Sunday an observant neighbour In Illovo South, Amanzimtoti, alerted a Blue Security reaction officer on patrol that a housebreaking had occurred next door. “The resident confirmed that he had arrived home to discover the door open and a number of items stolen,” Mathios said. “Another neighbour then reported seeing a man pushing a wheelbarrow down the street laden with various goods. A case was opened with Amanzimtoti SAPS and investigations led to the arrest of the suspect at his home. He was still in possession of the stolen items,” Mathios said.
An observant reaction officer on patrol in Kloof spotted an abandoned ladder on the pavement in the neighbourhood on Sunday evening. “Subsequent enquiries with the surrounding residents revealed that it did not belong to anyone in the area,” Mathios said. The ladder was handed over to Pinetown SAPS for safekeeping.
“It’s gratifying to see how neighbours are on the alert and looking out for each other during this lockdown period,” Mathios said. “Although there should be minimal pedestrian movement at this time the criminal element is still at large and looking for opportunities to commit crime. “Make contact with neighbours to check on them or their property if they are out of town. “Check that security installations on property are in good working order and, above all, contact your security provider immediately should you observe suspicious activity in your area,” Mathios said.