Police hunt schoolboy raider

Apr 20 2011 by Bryan Brough, Paisley Daily Express

POLICE were yesterday on the trail of a schoolboy thief who broke into a house in Paisley town centre.

The youngster, thought to be aged about 15, panicked when he heard a noise and escaped through a window.

He was disturbed by the owner of the house when she returned home to the property in Oakshaw Street at around 3.45pm on Wednesday, April 13.

One neighbour told the Paisley Daily Express: “I think the woman got a bit of a shock when she saw the intruder and she was even more shocked by how young he looked.

“This lad could only have been about 14 or 15. He was just a schoolboy.”

A police investigation into the break-in is continuing but it is thought that the would-be thief ran off empty-handed.

Detectives have been looking through CCTV footage in the hope of identifying the young culprit.

Anyone who saw a youngster acting suspiciously in the Oakshaw Street area that afternoon is asked to ring Paisley Police Office on 0141 532 5900 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Police have also revealed that a number of houses have been raided in Paisley this month and, during one break-in that took place in the Ferguslie Park area, thieves removed the entire window frame to gain entry.

They nicked a laptop computer and a number of other family possessions.

The owners were shocked when they returned home to find their window frame propped up against a wall.

And, at a flat in Well Street in the town’s West End, thieves gained entry by smashing a window before making off with a laptop.

That incident happened between 3pm and 6pm on April 13.

One officer said: “If you haven’t got an alarm in your home, we would suggest you get one.

“They are not expensive and are a very worthwhile investment.

“Also, if you spot a stranger in your street and you suspect that person is up to no good, ring your local police station immediately.

“The sooner you report an incident, the sooner we can be at the scene.”