House break-ins and robberies on the rise.
Residents living across the Brixton Policing Precinct have been urged to be more vigilant and cautious following a rise in such cases. According to the station’s spokesperson Jeanette Backhoff, these house break-ins and robberies are being committed across the area but more especially in Melville, Auckland Park, Brixton and Mayfair.
“This crime is reported right throughout the days of the week with an increase on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Mondays and tends to happen mostly between 9am and 12pm, 12pm till 9pm and 12am till 3am.” She urged residents to be more vigilant between these times and to make sure that all the doors, safety gates and windows are properly closed and locked at all times.
According to Backhoff, “In most of the cases reported, the domestic worker opened the door for the suspects to enter the houses, therefore it is of utmost importance to do a proper security check on the person before you employ him or her. “It is also important to educate your domestic worker not to open doors for strangers, and if they see someone or something suspicious, to phone the police or security company.” Although Brixton police will be doing more patrols to ensure high visibility in all the sectors, the responsibility of keeping crime low is a joint effort between the police and the public.
Brixton police provided the following safety tips to reduce the chances of members of the public falling victim to this crime:
- The public are requested not to display valuable items laying around their yard and also to ensure that it is locked in a safe and secure place
- Leave a light on the outside during the night
- Inform your neighbour when you will not be home for a long period
- Phone your nearest police station if you see suspicious people in your neighbourhood
- Do not open your home to strangers
- Keep your driveway clean and don’t keep newspapers and pamphlets in your post box or in the gate.
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