A man has been arrested after reports of two successive attempted burglaries in Belfast following which the 32-year-old climbed a tree to evade police.
The PSNI said it initially received a report of an attempted burglary in the Andersonstown Park West area of the city at 9:10pm last night.
It added that at 9:45pm a second report was made of an attempted burglary at another house in the Fruithill Park area of Belfast.
A "suspicious man" had tried to enter a house through a window, it said.
These were the scenes on Kennedy Way in west Belfast last night where a man got stuck up a 60-foot tree after trying to rob two houses.
— Kevin Scott (@Kscott_94) January 19, 2025
After a two hour operation he was rescued and arrested.
Bizarrely he asked for a cigarette during negotiations, the only person with one was… pic.twitter.com/myyrP7XNHv
Upon arrival, the PSNI said officers discovered the man has "climbed a nearby tree".
Officers alongside members of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service brought the man down from the tree "following a lengthy negotiation".
It is understood that at one point the man requested a cigarette during the negotiations.
"The 32-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of two counts of attempted burglary and disorderly behaviour," the PSNI said.
The PSNI has appealed to anyone with information, including videos, to contact them.
