Police chase suspected robbers

AN OBSERVANT woman spotted a car, with three men inside, following her when she left a local bank after withdrawing money recently.

She noticed the men were following her and then called her husband, who informed Greenwood Park SAPS. The police found the woman, and the men following her, and chased the car with the three men in.

“Unfortunately the men got away,” said Lt Elvis Naidoo, communication officer for Greenwood Park SAPS.

Lt Naidoo said criminals have been targeting ATMs at malls and banks and said the station expects robberies to increase with the festive season around the corner.

“We have found that a lot of people are either going to, or leaving, banks with large amounts of cash. A lot of residents also leave large sums of money at their homes. We urge them not to keep large amounts of cash on them and to be aware when going to, or leaving, banks,” Lt Naidoo said.

He urged residents to make use of electronic payments and said residents with domestic workers must screen their employees, making sure they have traceable references and also get their South African ID number, as well as a photo of them.

“Safety beams at homes have proved to be very effective deterrents. Security lighting, alarms, pets and clean-cut gardens are also good deterrents to criminals,” Lt Naidoo said.

He also urged residents to regularly test their security company’s effectiveness by sounding test alarms.

“We have also entered into a strategic partnership with major security companies in the area, whereby we agreed to create an operational centre at the station, which might be linked to the Durban North SAPS operational centre. This centre will serve to establish an integrated network across all platforms to fight crime,” Lt Naidoo said.