The Vancouver Police are praising the actions of an alert citizen whose call to 9-1-1 resulted in the arrest of a man with a history of sexual offences.
Just before 10 pm last night, a resident in the 2100 block of Rupert Street called 9-1-1 after observing a man lurking around his neighbour’s house and looking in the windows. Police responded immediately, but the man left shortly before police arrived. Police conducted an extensive area search, and spoke to the residents in the home and to the neighbours.
Just before 11 pm, the original caller to 9-1-1 called back and advised the man had returned to his neighbours house and was again in the shadows and appearing to be looking in windows. Police were still in the area looking for the man, and were able to witness him as he lingered around the victim’s residence. Police officers followed when the man walked away, and arrested him for ‘Trespass at Night’.
The man is a 31 year-old Vancouver resident who has a history of sexual offences. He remains in custody until his next court appearance.
“This is exactly what we would like people to do – if you see something, say something. Make that call to 9-1-1 if something does not seem right. In this case, if not for the alert neighbor calling 9-1-1 about the suspicious behavior of a stranger lurking around a home, police would not have known this man was there and the outcome could have been much different,” says Constable Sandra Glendinning.
