DURBAN North SAPS has again warned residents not to leave valuables in plain sight and to ensure their garages are locked.
This comes after an increase not only in the theft of bicycles, but also an increase in criminals targeting garages. In the past week, four bicycles were stolen while three garages were broken into.
Spokesman for the station, Lt Raymond Deokaran, urged residents not to leave bicycles out in the open and to lock their garages.
“Unfortunately we’ve noticed a trend where criminals are targeting garages for tools. In one of the cases reported last week, a resident spotted one suspect passing his bicycle over the wall to another suspect on the other side. We suspect a lot of the stolen items end up going to unscrupulous scrap dealers,” he said.
Deokaran added the criminals involved in bike theft were organised.
“We believe the suspects use a vehicle to transport them out of the area. As far as garage theft is concerned, it mainly involves opportunistic criminals. I urge residents to take down the serial numbers on their bicycles as this may help identify stolen items,” he said.
Deokaran reiterated his message that the police have made a concerted effort to step up patrols but crime prevention starts with local residents.
