BUSINESS and home owners have been warned to keep their valued assets on their properties as secure as possible following reports of several thefts of motor vehicles.
Blue Security operations manager, Brian Jackson, said the latest incident reported in the Highway area occurred at a business premises in Nipper Road in New Germany at 1.50am on Saturday, 31 October.
“Criminals managed to break into the property through a concrete fence and stole two batteries from a truck that was parked on the site,” he said. “A security guard who was patrolling the premises noted the two batteries lying on the floor and ran to call backup, but when he returned the batteries were gone.”
The incident was reported to the Pinetown SAPS.
Jackson said a second incident was reported on Friday, 30 October when a resident in Deepvale Road in New Germany noticed that someone had been tampering with her cars – both bakkies – overnight.
“The resident noticed that there were fingerprints on her car doors and she realised that she had forgotten to lock the vehicles. It was unclear whether anything had been taken,” he said.
Jackson said criminals cruised neighbourhoods on foot and in vehicles to survey properties before striking.
“Criminals familiarise themselves with businesses’ and residents’ security habits so it is safest to always park your vehicles in the garage, if you have one, during the day and overnight,” he said.
He added, “Valuables like laptops, tablets, cellphones and bags shouldn’t be left in a car even if it is parked behind locked gates and you are just running inside for a few minutes,” he said. “Children can be especially careless with their electronic devices so be sure to remind them to always remove these from the car.”
Jackson said that residents should make sure garages and sheds were locked and that external security beams were switched on at night for an early warning system against thieves who might enter the property.
“In the latest case in Padfield Park, a resident noticed his garage door was open during the early hours of the morning. A suspect wearing blue overalls was inside the garage, but he fled the scene when he realised that he had been seen,” he said.
“If you have external beams and an electric fence, make sure these are in good working order and switched on at night for an additional layer of security.”
He said other cases were reported in Manor Gardens, Durban North and Amanzimtoti.
