Yitzhak Wasserlauf, Israel’s minister for the development of the periphery, the Negev and the Galilee, caught a thief in the Shapira neighborhood of southern Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

“An instinct for public responsibility is what led me to react,” Wasserlauf told JNS on Wednesday. “This is a problem that has existed in the neighborhood for as long as I can remember.

“This is the second time I’ve caught these types while serving as a government minister,” he added. “My message to residents is to remain vigilant and report any such suspects to the police.”