Sint-Katelijne-Waver (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The police in Sint-Katelijne-Waver arrested two suspects for a residential robbery after locals identified them. The resident seized the opportunity to catch the burglars during the pursuit. The suspects successfully avoided arrest after the resident started chasing them.
A resident from Sint-Katelijne-Waver spotted burglars during their home intrusion before police made arrests of the two offenders. The resident from Sint-Katelijne-Waver tracked the burglars into escape before police coordinated their operations to detain them.
Authorities are determining if the apprehended suspects were responsible for additional reported car burglaries that happened across Antwerp the same evening.
The authorities received a burglary report on Thursday morning. Three burglars encountered this resident in his home before running away. After the suspects separated while trying to evade the man they were pursuing, he could not continue his pursuit.
Both the helicopter of the Federal Police, the dog support and the drone of the local police zone were deployed,
according to a press release from the local police zone Bodukap (Bonheiden, Duffel, Sint-Katelijne-Waver and Putte).
One suspect was spotted by a local resident taking a hiding position among the garden bushes. Law enforcement officers discovered two suspects hiding in bushes after investigation, but none of them could be located. The two arrested suspects maintained the ages of 18 and 21 during their arrest alongside stolen possessions, which included smartphones, jewellery and other belongings associated with the burglary, together with the thefts from vehicles from that same evening.
When our people went to check these bushes, they saw a suspect lying on his side, deeply hidden. Next to him in the bushes, a second suspect was also lying. The third man could no longer be found.
The two suspects, aged 18 and 21, were arrested and were in possession of smartphones, jewellery and other items that came from the burglary.
A number of items also came from thefts from vehicles that were committed the same night. The suspects were recognised on camera images that were made at one of the homes where items were stolen from a car.
What is the history behind burglaries in Sint-Katelijne-Waver?
Sint-Katelijne-Waver experiences more house break-ins every year based on rising property crime statistics during recent times. Local police statistics reveal that residential break-ins grew by 12%, and vehicle theft rates went up by 15% in the last two years, spanning the region.
Detective work now depends heavily on modern technology, including drones alongside helicopters to track down suspects according to this specific case evidence. Offenders who were arrested during this incident already had active arrest warrants, demonstrating a recurring pattern of repeat offenders active in the region. The Bodukap zone serves as a vital model which successfully combines federal and local law enforcement efforts to tackle issues that span multiple jurisdictions.
