Burglaries drop by 40 per cent in Newton
Surrey Mounties believe the recent arrests of two Surrey men have contributed to a 40 per cent drop in burglaries in Newton over the last two weeks.
Earlier this month the Surrey RCMP issued a warning to Newton residents about a recent rash of home break-ins. Police said at the time that they believed a small but thorough crew was responsible for most of the dozens of daytime burglaries that were occurring.
Cpl. Bert Paquet said there has also been a city-wide drop in residential burglaries. He did not blame all of the burglaries on the pair but said their arrests "would have a direct impact on the numbers decreasing."
"We're not confirming the two were single-handedly responsible for the majority," Paquet stressed.
The suspects' names have not been released.
Paquet said on Jan. 16 the RCMP's high-risk target team spotted a 28-year old Surrey man in a stolen Hyundai Sonata and arrested him at the Newton bus loop for possession of stolen property and on outstanding warrants for assault, threatening and mischief.
Paquet said that on the following day, a 31-year-old Surrey man was arrested after a Newton resident called the RCMP about a "scruffy" fellow with a pressure washer lurking about in her neighbour's back yard.