Armed response officer nabs geyser thief in Westmead
The man was arrested and charged with trespassing, damage to property and theft.
A GEYSER thief was arrested at the weekend by Blue Security. The man was found a short distance away from the crime scene in the Westmead area.
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Blue Security community and media liaison officer, Andreas Mathios said an armed response officer, who was going to deactivate a beam at a business premises in the area, was flagged down by a security guard.
“The guard informed the officer that he had spotted a suspicious individual on the roof of a nearby property and provided a description of the suspect.
“Upon checking, it was discovered that all was in order at the initial premises but it was apparent that a geyser had been removed from the adjoining property,” said Mathios.
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Mathios reported that it is alleged that the suspect had gained access to the one property via the neighbouring premises as the two properties share a common roof between them. According to Mathios, the copper pipes, which had been connected to the geyser, had been cut.
“The armed-response officer proceeded to patrol the nearby streets and saw the suspect a short distance away from the crime scene. He was found in possession of a copper geyser and various other items of value.”
Mathios added that the owner of the premises was notified and the suspect, who had been detained by Blue Security, was handed over to Pinetown SAPS for further processing. Charges of trespassing, damage to property and theft are being investigated.