Alarms lead to 2 Wellington arrests

Residents and business owners should regularly test their alarm systems, to make sure they are working properly. They are a valuable element in the detection of any crime, as two arrests in town this week has shown.

The first incident, explains Fidelity ADT’s Cape Town North District Manager Verena Hulme, involved a pub on Main Road.

“We received an alarm signal around 5am on Monday morning (12 October 2020) and dispatched an armed response officer to investigate. When he arrived at the address he saw that the front door appeared to have been forced open, while three unidentified men stood across the road looking at the pub. They however quickly left the area when they noticed our officer,” says Hulme.

A search of the pub itself led to the discovery of an unidentified person hiding inside. He was apprehended and handed over into police custody.

Hulme says her company responded to another alarm activation, this time early on Sunday morning. “The alarm signal came in at around 5am from a primary school on Mark Street. One of our armed response officers arrived at the school and found signs of broken windows. A representative for the school soon also arrived and confirmed that the windows were not broken previously.”

The school property was searched and an unidentified suspect was found where he was hiding. There was also signs of copper pipes being forcibly removed. Police soon arrived to take the suspect into custody.

“Alarm systems serve an important role. They alert your security company of any emergency so that the appropriate response can be dispatched as quickly as possible. Please test your alarm system at least twice a year and make sure the battery backup system is in a good condition,” says Hulme.