Merton Police held a commendation ceremony on September 23 to celebrate the officers and staff involved in the arrest of the Wimbledon Prowler.
Astrit Kapaj is a prolific residential burglar who had targeted a small area of Wimbledon to carry out his crimes which date back at least 12 years.
The sophisticated burglar was so good at what he did that no fingerprints were ever left at the crime scene and his knowledge of police investigative methods helped him to avoid being caught.
Since 2014, police carried out two operations in an attempt to catch the person responsible for the Wimbledon burglaries and on February 22, Kapaj was caught with a small torch on a chain around his neck and a pocket multi-tool in his possession, both of which had been captured on CCTV of the suspect in previous offences.
His DNA also matched the numerous Wimbledon crime scenes.
On June 21, Kapaj pleaded guilty to 26 burglary offences that were carried out from 2008 to 2019 and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
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