Bellair SAPS urges residents to remain vigilant
The Bellair Police Station has warned the public to be vigilant about where they park their cars as thefts of some car parts are on the rise.
THE Bellair Police Station said there has been a spike in the theft of rims, tyres and, in some cases, centre cap badges from parked vehicles. Acting spokesperson for the police station Sergeant Rachel Simangele Mseleku said the suspects involved use various tools at their disposal.
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“There are a number of factors the suspects exploit, but almost all of the cases have taken place late at night. We’ve also recorded cases where the suspects use a jack to prop up the vehicle and steal all four tyres before placing them on bricks. They have also left the vehicle just resting on the brake discs. The two most recent cases we recorded were in Bellair.
“While we are continuing patrols in the area, we are asking residents to also remain vigilant. If it’s possible, you should install wheel-lock nuts or lug nuts to make it more difficult for criminals to remove them. We are also asking residents to make sure their outdoor beams, if they have any, are armed to alert residents to any movement outside their homes. We also believe the suspects are using a vehicle as its difficult to carry around four tyres, so we urge residents and neighbourhood watches to report any suspicious activity,” she said.
Mseleku added that the tyres and rims are being sold in the second-hand market. “There is a big market for these items. One of the ways we are trying to combat this is by visiting second-hand dealers in the area. We conduct compliance inspections at second-hand dealers to ensure items being sold are not stolen,” she said.
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The SAPS also urged residents to mark their rims to make them identifiable if recovered.
“This could be through the use of microdot technology or physically marking a rim to make it easier to identify if the police recover any items. We also encourage residents to report these incidents in a timely fashion,” she said.
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