Crook put to ground

EMMA SPILLETT

A GERRINGONG family has had to take the law into their own hands and sit on an alleged thief while they waited 30 minutes for police to arrive.

About 11pm last Wednesday, the male home owner (who did not want to be identified) went outside to put some rubbish out when he saw a man inside his brother-in-law’s car.

His sister, who also did not want to be identified, was sitting inside when she heard the disturbance.

“My brother yelled ‘oi’ and grabbed the man and was screaming to my husband for help,” she said.

The pair managed to apprehend the thief and force him into their home, straddling him to prevent him from escaping.

The 25-year-old woman called the police while her husband and brother held the man to the ground.

“We just sat there and waited … I was terrified,” she said.

“We called 000 and it would have been a good half hour while we were just sitting there while this guy was yelling and screaming, pleading for us to let him go.”

The woman said the attempted theft at their home followed a series of incidents at Blackwood Street the night before.

“They picked up another burglar on Tuesday night,” she said.

“We don’t know if they’re connected, but we were praying the man who broke into our house didn’t have mates around.

“It’s terrifying … what if they know where we live?”

The woman said she was distressed by how long it had taken for the police to arrive.

“It’s just ridiculous,” she said.

“We called 000 and waited and we actually had to call them 15 minutes later to see where they were as we couldn’t hear any sirens.

“The worst part is that they couldn’t give us an estimated time of arrival, so we just had to wait while this guy was begging us not to turn him in.”

The family is set to move into a new home in the area in eight weeks and the woman said she couldn’t be happier about the move.

“I’m still shaking … I haven’t been able to sleep,” she said.

“The scary thing is that I was lucky that my brother and husband were strong enough to hold this guy down … but what if it had just been me?

“There is a need for community awareness and for people to know what is going on.”

The woman said it was time for a permanent police presence in the area.

“A lot more incidents are happening and being reported and it’s only going to get worse into the holiday season,” she said.

“It’s time for a police station in Gerringong.”

Last week’s incidents follow a wave of crime in the area with nearly 45 incidents reported in August.