When your neighbour is a thief

A few months ago, I started observing one of my neighbours, whom we believed was a thief.

Anthony (not real name), 23, had been involved in theft before. However, whenever he was found with stolen items, he would be arrested, but released after a short time.

Recently, the Police recovered a stolen bicycle in his room and early in September, he had returned home one day in handcuffs, escorted by two police officers, to pick up stolen items from his house, including a 42-inch TV set.

To our surprise, he returned home a few hours later. When we asked him why he had been in handcuffs carrying a TV set out of his house earlier on, he said he had unknowingly bought a stolen TV from a friend and had spent a night in jail because of it. On September 30, he and several others were arrested with a gun.

So what do you do if that person is your neighbour?

According to the officer in charge of Kiteezi Police Station, Raphael Omara, it is advisable to inform the landlord so that he or she can handle that tenant.

"If the landlord fails to handle such as a person, they should report him to the area LC1 chairperson so that investigations can be carried out," Omara says.

Omara adds that in cases where the chairperson fails to handle the matter, the neighbour should immediately talk to the Police about it.

"Neighbours can also always be their brother's keeper in such instances in order to ensure safety in the area," he adds.

According to Godfrey Zaake, the chairman of Kiteezi- Kabaga, it is not easy to live with thieves because they put their neighbours on tension. "Talk to the rest of your neighbours and have one voice before you involve local leaders," Zaake advises.

He says once the leaders are informed about such people, they can always work with the Police to carry out investigations.