Burglaries increased in Vaalpark in September

Burglary into residential properties showed an increase in Vaalpark from middle September. Within three weeks, 11 burglaries were reported in the area, although the actual number could be higher as not all incidents are reported.

According to the CEO of Public Eye Vaal, Arrie Coetzee, the modus operandi used in most of these cases were the same. First the thieves will break open the gate at the property, thereafter they will pull into the yard. If they can, they would drive to the back of the house and break open the back door, otherwise they will break open the front door to gain access to the house. In most of the cases they will only steal electronic equipment that can easily be sold at second-hand shops.

Arrie says they have discovered that these burglaries tend to happen on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The stolen goods are then sold on Fridays. In several instances the owners of the houses that have been broken into, said they have seen a strange vehicle or person acting suspiciously near their property before the house robbery, but they haven’t done anything about it. Arrie asks people to rather be overly cautious and to report any suspected vehicles or people to their security company or Public Eye Vaal. He says Public Eye Vaal in close cooperation with the police, the community policing forums and most of the private security companies are striving to fight crime pro-actively.

His advice to residents is to ensure that they know their neighbours and have contact numbers for them. “If an alarm goes off in your neighbourhood, try to establish where it comes from. Call the people and ask if they are okay. If they don’t answer, call their security company or the police, because you never know when they might be in a hostage situation”, he said.
“Please get involved. If something doesn’t look right, investigate, but do it in a safe way. For instance, don’t go out in the dark, rather look through a window and switch the outside lights on. Call your neighbours and ask if they can see anything suspicious from their side. Make sure you have all the emergency telephone numbers at hand”, Arrie advises.

For more information about Public Eye Vaal, visit their Facebook Page or website at www.publiceyevaal.co.za.

Article by Gerda Bruinette and originally published in the Sedibeng Ster