Police have caught six burglars including two juveniles they allege were responsible for a large number of the 77 home burglaries in Camillo and Kelmscott in August and late July.
In the four weeks until August 23 there were 77 burglaries in Camillo and Kelmscott compared to only 26 from June 29 to July 26.
Over the same August period Gosnells and Thornlie recorded a combined 53 burglaries while Armadale recorded 16.
Armadale officer in charge senior sergeant Mark Tobiassen said police caught on to the trend and over the past three weeks arrested six offenders.
On Tuesday he said since arresting the four male offenders and two juveniles there had been five burglary free days.
“(Camillo and Kelmscott) were getting smashed and we were throwing as much as we could at it and it seems at this point that we’ve brought that to an end,” he said.
“I know five days is not many but the reality is prior to that it was constant every single day, multiple burglaries every single day so to have five days in a row with none is a great result.”
Snr Sgt Tobiassen said they threw extra resources at the area as a part of the statewide operation sweep and he thanked the public for their information, which helped police catch the offenders.
Kelmscott resident Tash Thornton was one of victims.
She was talking to a friend on the phone out the back of her house on August 18 when an offender snuck into her house and stole her husband’s wallet.
Our dog was inside and I’ve heard her go off and I confronted him at my back door.
“I screamed and he took off.
“You feel violated basically and now I’m too scared to leave the house.
“I had a three-year-old and 13-year-old in the house at the time.”
Camillo resident Jhosaphine Suckling was also a victim and had $5000 worth of jewellery, electronics and money stolen from her house on August 17.
“I left my house at 2.30pm and we got home about 7.30pm and as I drove in I could see the light in the garage was on under the garage door,” she said.
“I saw the laundry screen door was propped open and the wooden door was propped open and when I walked in the sliding door was open and the glass was shattered.
“The worst part for us is the fact that my daughter is eight and she’s slept with a light on and she’s still really frightened.”
Wendy Champion’s home was burgled on August 19 and she had $3000 worth of gear stolen including a backpack, go pro, headphones and cash.
