POLOKWANE – Police in the city have warned residents not to drive or park their vehicles with valuable items on the seats where would-be thieves could see these items.
Polokwane police spokesperson, Lesiba Ramoshaba, warned motorists to be on the lookout for suspicious people at busy intersections and in parking areas.
One of the latest victims, local businessman Eddie Beukes, said his laptop was stolen in a smash and grab incident in Hans van Rensburg Street last Monday.
He was on his way back to work after lunch when his rear left window was smashed and his laptop grabbed from the back seat.
Beukes said he found a spark plug on his back seat, and believed it was used to break the window.
“I was a block away from work and never thought the laptop could be stolen as I was minutes away from work.”
David Wilson, a car guard at a shopping centre in the city, said there had been several incidents in which parked vehicles were targeted by smash and grab thieves.
Ramoshaba confirmed that there had been several cases reported where spark plugs were used to break car windows. He urged residents to be proactive and to report any suspicious activities at intersections in the city to the nearest police station.
