Is Dassierand becoming dangerous?

Once regarded as one of the safest areas in Potchefstroom, Dassierand has recently been experiencing a spate of burglaries, forcing residents to beef up their security.

Macintosh*, who has been living in the neighbourhood since 2019, says there have been at least two attempted robberies at their family home this year.

“Every other morning, since the beginning of the year, a resident has reported on our residents’ WhatsApp group that there has been a break-in at their home. They are so regular that some of us have been forced to increase our security measures,” he said.

Macintosh, whose home borders a veld, believes the burglars take advantage of similar houses because it is much easier to escape. “One of my friends, who doesn’t live too far from us, said his brother saw two burglars jumping over a neighbour’s fence at 02:00,” he says.

Just over a month ago, Macintosh says a person was roaming around his property. Fortunately, the people in the house were still awake and the burglary attempt was unsuccessful.

“The downside is that the recent developments have forced people to incur unnecessary costs in trying to make their homes safe,” Macintosh said.

The residents have gone to the extremes of installing CCTV and alarm systems and even sensors around their homes. Samuel* says that, sometime between late December last year and early this year, they smashed the window of his car and stole his laptop. The same thing happened to another resident, but they only found a wallet.

“It seems these people operate during the early hours of the morning while people are asleep,” he said.

Since the break-ins started, some residents have taken it upon themselves to patrol the neighbourhood in the evenings.

“The situation seems to have improved significantly since we started. Although there was a recent attempt, the burglars were, fortunately, unsuccessful,” another resident said.

According to the police spokesperson, Colonel Myburgh, a total of 19 housebreaking cases were reported in Dassierand over 10 months (November 2020 to August 2021). Most cases were reported during December 2020 and no case was registered in April 2021.

“The Dassierand area is not regarded as a crime hotspot in Potchefstroom, even though one reported case is one too many,” she said.

“The police continue to work hard to prevent and combat crime through crime-pattern analysis. However, the police will always need active community participation in the fight against crime,” Myburgh said.

She concluded that the following crime prevention tips could help prevent housebreakings:

– Don’t buy stolen goods

– Never leave your door keys in the door. It is easy to make duplicate keys for later access to one’s premises.

– Do not hide keys in your postbox or under the front door mat or pot plant

– If you buy luxury goods, cut up the boxes and dispose of them in tied black bags. A branded box is a tell-tale sign of what thieves could find in your house

– If you leave on holiday, do not leave lights on during the day and inform your neighbour to keep an eye on your house. Good neighbour relations prevent crime.

– Do not leave any garden tools and ladders lying around outside your house

– If possible, ensure that locks on outside doors are four-lever locks. Ensure that you have security doors and burglar proofing fixed on all outside doors and windows that can open

– An alarm system, monitored by a security company and having a dog prevents burglaries.

*Not their real names