Greenwood Park SAPS warn of rise in crime
Residents had also reported house-breaking incidents where criminals had allegedly gained access into the house via the garage door.
“THERE has been a recent spike in crime levels, specifically theft-out-of-motor-vehicles – in subforums 4 and 5, namely Glen Anil, Glen Hills, Red Hill, Umgeni Park and Rose Hill areas,” says Greenwood Park police spokesperson Constable Zenzele Chonco.
This, he says, may be attributed to the fact that it is winter.
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“This gives criminals more opportunities and time to commit crimes such as house break-ins and theft-out-of-motor-vehicles,” he said.
He said the Greenwood Park SAPS had made several attempts to sensitise the community about the risks of being complacent, however, there are still several reports pertaining to petty and serious crimes.
“These areas are well known for leaving their vehicles parked on the roadside. We urge residents to find alternate parking spaces at night and also not to leave valuables visible in vehicles, yet we still receive numerous complaints of theft-of-motor-vehicles from outside properties at night and also theft-out-of-motor-vehicles,” said Chonco.
He said victims allege that their GPS devices are being stolen from their vehicles which were left unattended and visible in the vehicle.
“We urge the community to stop creating easy opportunities for criminals to pounce. Remove devices and items of value from your car as they will attract a criminal to break into your vehicle,” said Chonco.
He added that residents had also reported house-breaking incidents where criminals had allegedly gained access to the house via the garage door.
“We want to advise all homeowners to ensure that alarm contact points are installed on garage doors. Homeowners need to insist that their respective alarm companies inspect and service the systems to ensure that it is functioning efficiently,” he said.
Chonco also advised that items of value should not be lying loosely in the garage but rather fastened with a chain or stored in a cupboard.
“This would make it much more difficult for a thief to remove and would cause panic in them since your alarm would be sounding because you have contact points on your garage door,” he added.
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