A 45-year-old serial housebreaker was arrested by police in an ambush on Wednesday.

The man had broken into premises around Tras Street, breaking into three office units in a single day earlier this year.

At about 7.55 am Feb 24, a woman reported to the police that her office along Tras Street had been broken into and ransacked. About $2,000 in cash had been taken.

Five minutes later, two nearby office tenants reported that there were signs of an unsuccessful attempt at a break-in.

Officers from Central Police Division looked at CCTV footage from the premises and were later able to establish the suspect's identity. He was arrested in an ambush operation around Upper Cross Street on Wednesday.

Police investigations are ongoing.

The suspect will be charged in court tomorrow for the offence of housebreaking and theft by day, which carries a maximum jail sentence of 10 years.

In a news release, Commander of Central Police Division Daniel Tan advised the public to secure office premises with quality doors and locks, and to install a burglar alarm, sensor light or closed circuit surveillance cameras. Valuables and large sums of cash should be deposited in banks as far as possible, he said.