BARBERTON –  A suspect was arrested by the police for house robbery over the weekend.
This follows two incidents on Saturday, August 11, in town.

At approximately 16:45, two men entered a private premises in President Street. When the female resident became aware of the intruders, she rushed into her house. Although she managed to summon help, one of the suspects forcefully entered the house and threatened her with a panga. One perpetrator fled the scene, but the other was apprehended by the Barberton SAPS in collaboration with Hi-Tech Security Barberton.

At 17:30 on the same day, another house robbery took place when a suspect, armed with a knife, managed to gain entry to a house in Pretorius Street. The plaintiff said she was opening her front door when an unknown man pushed her inside, threatening her with a knife. He demanded money and fled on foot with R600, two Samsung cellphones, a laptop and GPS cables. No arrest has been made in this case.

“People need to be more vigilant when arriving at or leaving from home. When at home, be sure to keep safety doors locked at all times. Petty crime is definitely on the increase, but we should not make it easy for the perpetrators to gain entry,” said station commander, Col Johan Engelbrecht. Engelbrecht also thanked Hi-Tech Security for their prompt response in both incidents: "They really do excellent work."

Written by: Anchen Coetzee for Ama'Zone Media Solutions t/a Africa InTouch
Subeditor: Lynette Brink