The expat, who asked to be identified only as Felix, reported the break-in to the police, who he says have yet to make any progress in the case.
Felix was still sitting at the computer late when the thief broke into the home in Soi Sylvia, in Samakee 2, Rawai, at about 2am, Wednesday (Feb 15).
“Of course, I’m very concerned about my family’s safety now,” he told The Phuket News.
“In the five years that I have lived here there has not been one single incident in the whole neighbourhood, and now in a few months there have been multiple incidents,” he said.
“Two months ago the police arrested somebody who stole a wheel from one of our motorbikes parked outside, so I feel like there is something going on that needs to get brought to attention,” he added.
The break-in on Wednesday was caught on CCTV at the home, which is activated and records by motion detection. The footage shows a young man wearing a white T-shirt and wearing glasses pulling up outside the home on a motorbike and entering the home by climbing over the gate.
“In the house were my two dogs. The dogs heard him pretty soon and started barking, so he escaped soon after. Basically it’s safe to say the dogs saved us,” Felix said.
“When I ran outside he was just escaping with his motorbike, which was a red Honda Click,” he added.
“It shouldn’t be too hard to find the guy who made that tattoo as there are only so many tattoo shops on the island - it seems very unique,” Felix told The Phuket News.
“In the footage you can see that the guy knew exactly where he wanted to go. All we know is that the break-in was targeted,” he added.
Chalong Police Chief Col Chukiet Imjaitham played down the incident, saying crime in his area was decreasing, while at the same saying that Chalong Police Station receives break-in reports every Tuesday.
Also, in response to the crime apparently decreasing, he added, “We have patrols in Chalong and Rawai 24 hours a day, and patrol officers can be at the scene in five minutes.”
Col Chukiet urged people to report crimes by calling the national police hotline 191 or Chalong Police Station directly. However, he was unable to recite the station’s number. It is 076-381930.
“If the Chalong Police Station line is not answered, the line will be automatically transferred to Phuket Provincial Police, who will contact Chalong Police directly by radio,” he said.
Readers who believe they have any information that may help Felix identify or apprehend the thief are urged to email butter_cookie_4ever@hotmail.com