Reports by attentive citizens result in three arrests

A man who had previously drawn attention to himself by behaving suspiciously in the city of Zug subsequently tried to evade a police check. In doing this, he threw a bicycle at a policewoman. The man's plan didn’t work out, however, and he was arrested. A few hours later, two other men were also arrested in Cham for breaking into unlocked cars.

At 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening (1 November 2022), an attentive citizen reported to the Operations Control Centre of the Zug Police that a man was behaving suspiciously on the Letzistrasse in Zug, and was creeping around parked cars. When the police arrived at the location, however, the man had already left the location.

A little later, just after the intersection of the Chamerstrasse and the Steinhauserstrasse, a police patrol saw a man who matched the description that had been given. When he saw the police, he mounted a bicycle and tried to avoid being checked. Without any lights on the bicycle, he rode back towards Zug, first on the pavement, then over a safety line and across the Chamerstrasse. A policewoman rushed after him on foot and asked him several times to stop. After a few metres, the man jumped off the bike and threw it towards the policewoman, who was able to avoid it, however, by jumping to the side.

The man continued his escape on foot and ran through the traffic across the Chamerstrasse/Steinhauserstrasse intersection. After a few metres, however, the police caught up with him and stopped him on the pavement, where he was provisionally arrested. The man is a 29-year-old Libyan national who is staying illegally in Switzerland.

This bicycle was thrown at a policewoman during the chase          Photo: Zug Police

A few hours later, shortly before 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning, another report from an attentive citizen was received at the Operations Control Centre of the Zug police. He had observed two suspicious-looking men getting into two cars in the area of the Birkenstrasse in Cham and leaving them again after a short time. A little later, the two persons he described were stopped and arrested in the vicinity by the police. They are two Algerians aged 17 and 18, who are suspected of entering two unlocked vehicles and searching them for valuables.

All three accused were charged, and will have to answer for their criminal acts.

The two cases are not directly related.

Thieves will take advantage of every opportunity
Out of habit, vehicles are often left unlocked and with valuables in the car. A vehicle is not a safe, however, and such careless behaviour makes it easy for thieves. The police recommend that the public should bear the following tips in mind:

• By preference, park your vehicle in a  garage or in a well-lit place.
• Always lock your vehicle.
• If you lock your vehicle using a remote control, you should always check that the vehicle is actually locked.
•  Do not leave valuables, electronic devices or cash in the vehicle.

Show a healthy distrust if you see any suspicious people in your residential area. Immediately report your observations to the police emergency number 117.

Source: Zug Police