A case of business robbery was opened at the Benoni SAPS after a suspected copper thief was arrested on January 26 in Rynfield.
The arrest was made by two Fidelity ADT reaction officers, who responded to a reported business robbery in the morning.
According to a press release, on arrival the officers discovered that a man forced open the electric box in the driveway to cut off some of the copper wire.
This caused the power to trip. Two staff members went outside to investigate and saw the suspect.
The man was apprehended and later handed over to Benoni SAPS.
Fidelity ADT community development manager, Renee Coltham, said there is a growing trend where criminals cut the power in the street boxes before attempting a break in.
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“The majority of the incidents occur between 8am and 5pm, but we are also seeing incidents that mimic the load-shedding schedule. Once they have switched off the power, they wait to see if anyone comes out or if the alarm triggers. They also often repeatedly trigger electric fences or beams until residents get frustrated and either bypass or disable their alarm,” said Coltham.
In this instance, the thief was stealing copper wire in broad daylight.
She offers the following safety tips:
• Never ignore a mains failure. Check it out carefully.
• Always check fence triggers and call your security provider if you are not sure.
• Rather not go outside and check yourself in case there are criminals around. It is safer to call your security provider.
“Now that load shedding is back, opportunistic criminals are using this time to commit crimes. Residents must check their load shedding schedule. If they receive a mains fail outside of the schedule, they must never ignore it.”
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