One man is in custody following a suspected home break-in near downtown St. John’s this morning.

The RNC was initially responding to a report of a suspicious person on Rennies Mill Road around 10:30 a.m.

But as they were responding, new information was received that alerted them to a potential break-in in progress.

That led to a larger response and almost immediate arrest of a suspect, who is being held for a court appearance.

RNC Const. James Cadigan says the incident speaks to the importance of reporting all suspicious activity, even if you think it’s not timely.

He notes while suspects might move on from one area, there’s always the risk they could commit their crimes elsewhere.

Home and vehicle break-ins continue to be an issue, with Cadigan urging owners to be vigilant by locking up and keeping valuables out of sight.

Meanwhile, police are also tracking a string of smash-ins into car dealerships over the past two weeks, with one man facing charges.

The RNC say the perpetrators have used vehicles to smash through the doors of dealerships. Once inside, they grab as much as they can in as short a time as possible as alarm bells are ringing. In some cases, they have managed to steal a vehicle.

The first incident occurred on August 31, with the sixth and most recent occurred early Wednesday morning. Later that day, police stopped a vehicle which matched the description of the one used in the crime.

Three people were in the car but only one was charged — a 40-year-old man. The charges, including break and enter and disguise with intent, are connected to only one incident — the one on Wednesday.

Police cannot say yet whether all six incidents, which happened at dealerships on Kenmount Road, Topsail Road and Kelsey Drive, are related.