BLUE Security’s latest crime report recorded a spate of residential and business housebreakings on the Berea over the past week.
Blue Security operations manager Brian Jackson said housebreakers had targeted properties in Glenwood and Morningside fleeing with computers, televisions, cellphones and other valuables. He said burglars had hit several properties between 3am and 6am in the morning.
Jackson said housebreakers had broken into a school in Glenwood on Sunday at 6.44am although it was not immediately clear whether anything had been stolen.
“A door to the main building of the school was unlocked and a change-room door had been forced open,” he said.
Jackson said housebreakers had also targeted properties in Cowey Road and Florida Road earlier the same morning.
“In one case a gang of three women driving a white Hyundai i20 was spotted arriving at a business premises in Florida Road at 4.53am. They had keys to the premises and drove in through the driveway gate before unlocking the property. The women fled the scene with computers and other valuables,” he said.
Jackson said housebreakers had ransacked the business premises in Cowey Road and fled with computers and a laptop.
Berea SAPS attended the scene of the crimes.
Housebreakings were also reported in Bellvue Road where suspects entered the property through the roof and in Currie Road, Lillian Ngoyi (Windermere) Road, Cromwell Road and Pitcairn Road, where housebreakers forced open a window and burglar bars and fled with jewellery, a television, cellphones, a GPS and cash.
Jackson said the police recovered a television that was stolen in a burglary in Hollander Crescent on Monday.
“SAPS officers arrested a man who was carrying a television along Umgeni Road just after 2am in the morning. When they questioned him he lead them to the house from where he had allegedly stolen the television through the open window of the servants’ quarters,” he said.
Jackson urged business owners to be proactive in the fight against crime ahead of the festive season when criminals tended to target businesses and employees.
“Criminals are aware that businesses often carry a large amount of stock ahead of the festive season and that business owners will probably be handling large financial transactions as the year winds down. We urge business owners and staff to use electronic funds transfers and to avoid keeping large sums of cash on their premises as much as possible as criminals, sometimes with inside information, will be looking for opportunities to strike at this time of the year,” he said.
Jackson advised business owners to install CCTV cameras and electric fences as well as anti-gatecrashing kits for an early warning system.
“Vigilance plays an important role in preventing your business from becoming a target so be sure to report any suspicious individuals or vehicles that you notice loitering outside your property and ask your security company to assess your alarm system to see if there are any weaknesses that can be addressed to beef up your early warning intruder detection systems,” he said.
