Armed robbers target Westville family
Residents have been urged to be extra vigilant when entering and exiting their homes.
A WESTVILLE family and a Cowies Hill resident were held up by armed robbers in two separate incidents on Friday.
According to Brian Jackson, Blue Security operations manager, a gang of five armed robbers attacked residents in Tweed Road, Westville on Friday evening. “The gang arrived in a silver golf and held up the residents at gun point as they were leaving home. The robbers assaulted the residents and forced them back into the house,” he said.
Jackson said the robbers loaded a television, safe, cell phones and a camcorder into the residents’ Mercedes and BMW and fled the scene with the vehicles. The robbers also took the house keys and gate remotes.
In the second incident, at around 11.30pm, armed robbers held up a Cowies Hill resident as he arrived home in Ernest Whitcutt Road.
“Two armed robbers held the resident up at gunpoint and robbed him of cash, a cell phone and his wallet,” said Jackson.
Westville SAPS attended both crime scenes. Jackson urged residents to be vigilant when arriving home and leaving, especially at night.
“Armed robbers and hijackers operate at any time of the day, but residents are most at risk at night when robbers are able to hide on your property or near your home and use the element of surprise to pounce on you to their advantage,” he said.
“Check outside your property before pulling into your driveway or opening the gate to leave, and make sure there are no suspicious individuals lurking nearby. If you feel uncomfortable about the presence of an individual or a vehicle parked outside, rather take a drive around the block before opening up, and call your security company for help if they still have not moved on,” he said.
Jackson advised residents to always stop parallel to the driveway before opening the gate to make it easier to drive off if anyone nearby approaches the vehicle.
“If you have already pulled up into the driveway, it is much harder and more risky to try and reverse out in a hijacking situation. The key to safety is to always be conscious of your surroundings and to be alert to any unusual activity in your neighbourhood,” he said.
