41-year-old serial housebreaker arrested

SINGAPORE - Police have arrested a 41-year-old man who is believed to be involved in several break-ins committed in the vicinity of Commonwealth Drive.

On January 12 at about 9.45am, Police officers were on patrol when they were alerted by a 54-year-old man that a person was spotted loitering suspiciously around the housing estate.

The witness provided a description of the suspect and the officers proceeded to conduct a coordinated search in the vicinity.

On the same day at about 10.30am, the suspect was caught stretching his hand through the corridor window of one of the units. 

Two mobile phones, one portable mobile phone charger, three bank cards and one EZ-link card were recovered from the suspect.

The suspect will be charged in Court on January 13 for the offence of Housebreaking and Theft by Day.

If convicted, he can be imprisoned for a term of up to 10 years.

The Police said they would like to encourage house owners and tenants to play an active role in safe-guarding their premises by adopting the following crime prevention measures:

• Make sure that all doors, windows and other openings are properly secured with strong grilles and good quality close-shackled locks. Change the lock promptly if the key is lost or stolen;

• Secure all doors and window grills before retiring to bed or when leaving your home unattended, even for a short while;

• Do not leave large sums of cash in your premises. Jewellery and valuable items should be kept in a bank or a good quality safe;

• Avoid leaving valuables such as wallets, bags, cash, mobile phones and laptops near the window along a common corridor;

• If going away for a prolonged period, suspend the newspaper subscription and arrange for someone to clear mails and check on your home regularly.