Today, Saturday 10th March 2018 was a particularly manic day for attempted house, shed and garage break-ins. It saw home intrusion and a stolen vehicle as well as the loss of tools and equipment. Havoc ALL caused by just one idiot, who….. just 16 hours or so after it all began, is now thankfully arrested this evening!
The following is pieced together from messages received today, and information gleamed from police in their subsequent callouts. Detail for anybody interested…..
Daybreak
By the time the sun had come up over a rainy Blantyre today, this one individual, a male was out on the prowl, intent on theft of ANY sort. Our first message of the day came from a local concerned man warning, “Just had my two sheds tried by an thief in Strathyre Road Blantyre this morning around 6.30am. Ran off when we rattled the window. Would be grateful if you could post this to raise awareness.” This was only the start!
A local lady told us, “Hi. A guy just tired to get into my hut this morning about 9.10. I’m in Croftpark Springwells. My partner seen him and tried to open the door. The tramp heard my partner and ran away, jumping over my back fence! My backdoor looks on to the EK express way. He was about 5 foot 6″ or 7″ in height and a hat that covers your ears with tassels on it. We went out in the car right after it happened to see if we could see him, but he was gone.”
He was next spotted at Burnside Crescent by early morning residents trying more door handles, but was chased off. Then multiple rapid sightings were made with the guy trying to break into sheds and garages in open daylight as people confronted him, he ran off. One resident told us, “There were as many as 5 break-ins to sheds before 9.30am. Police has been called by all different neighbours who have had their house broken into. The guy is openly challenging people who try to stop him.”
Car Stolen
At 9.30am the thief next entered an unlocked house in Burnside Crescent, Springwell, helping himself to sets of house keys and car keys, which he used next to steal a family vehicle parked outside, much to the disgust and upset of owners. The vehicle has subsequently been recovered, found in Hamilton. We have heard reports of other vehicles this week being stolen in the Hamilton area.
Sports Centre
By midday, he was spotted again, wearing the same dark jacket and hat in the car park at Blantyre Sports Centre. In BLATANT arrogance, he tried each car door handle in broad daylight, without any apparent fear of being spotted. One lady told us at 12.50, “He’s looking in cars trying handles! It didn’t deter him that I was looking at him. Leather jacket and tammy hat on!”
Police Intervention
This was the same man spotted in each of these incidents. Again, like the massive spree last month, the work of just one, unknown individual! However, this guys luck was up before it get underway!
With some Blantyre residents heeding advice and ‘canny’ enough to have window ledge CCTV, footage and images of the thief were able to be passed to police. We would add, police were called out for all these matters and had their work cut out today. They did an excellent job and by late afternoon, with thanks to their detective work and linked CCTV, police lifted an individual well before it got dark again tonight.
