Neighbours with a keen eye are being applauded by Victoria police for helping nip a theft spree in the bud in Esquimalt and a break-and-enter in Victoria Wednesday.
Officers were called by residents who spotted a man breaking into cars around 9 a.m., near Kindersley Road and Naden Street.
"Officers who were in the immediate area arrived within minutes and spotted the thief," Const. Mike Russell said in a statement.
The suspect, well-known to police, was apprehended after a foot chase.
A 31-year-old View Royal man could face theft charges, and was scheduled for a telebail hearing Wednesday.
Police were later called by an alert resident who saw a man throwing rocks at the windows of a house in the 1500-block of Fairfield Rd. around noon.
Police arrived to find the door of a home kicked in, and a man inside the kitchen.
A 44-year-old Victoria man was expected to appear in court Wednesday morning.
“It was the great observations made by residents in their own neighborhoods that allowed our nearby officers to get there in mere moments," Victoria police patrol supervisor Sgt. Barrie Cockle said. "That’s what made these arrests possible.”
emccracken@vicnews.com