Captain Alex Vermaak of Linden Police Station has warned the community to be careful of who they invite into their homes.
This after a house in Robin Hills was burgled while the owners were on holiday, and the spotlight that allows the CCTV cameras to capture movement at night at the home was switched off.
Police suspect that the spotlight might have been deliberately switched off by painters who were working at the home a week before the owners left on holiday.
In another incident earlier this month, a woman was tied up in her home after two suspects pretended to be from the company she had contracted to install wooden floors.
Vermaak said they have seen an increase in such cases where suspects pretend to be workers that have been sent by their supervisor to do contract work at homes.
“We don’t know how the suspects get information that a homeowner has requested installations or minor renovations,” said Vermaak. “But the suspects will use that information to gain access to the home and either ransack the house then or come back another time.”
Vermaak is urging the community to conduct more research into the companies they contract and also to contact the supervisor before giving access to workers.
On another note, he also warned community members that they are also breaking the law if they skip stop signs, traffic lights and disobey the rules of the road.
“The law is for the protection of the community and if they start behaving like criminals, we will treat them as such. The police have the authority to arrest anyone who breaks the law, including those of the road. As a citizen of this country, you can’t cherry-pick which laws to follow.”
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