A 45-year-old man was arrested in Watson yesterday afternoon (October 14) and, following a search of his Crace home, charged with 37 offences relating to multiple burglaries over the past month.  

Clothing, masks, tools and cash were seized at the search and the man is facing 21 counts of aggravated burglary, 12 counts of theft and four counts of attempted burglary.

Police say they’ve been focusing on an increase of commercial and residential burglaries of private residences and a range of businesses including massage parlours, fast food outlets, retail outlets, restaurants, bars, petrol stations, trade businesses, libraries, supermarkets and cafes.

These burglaries and thefts have been committed across Canberra including in Tuggeranong, Kingston, Forrest, Dickson, Downer, Barton, Belconnen, Mitchell, Fyshwick and Gungahlin.

Sgt Jason Dziubinski, of the Proactive Intervention & Diversion Team, says: “While we might not be able to attend every burglary, we do have systems in place to analyse, investigate and respond to these crimes.

“I know it can be frustrating when police are triaged to other emergencies, but we ask the community to continue to report thefts and burglaries to assist police in responding to and addressing this crime type.”