Scooter ‘thieves’ spotted

Opportunistic midnight thieves have been roaming around Roodepoort over the past two weeks stealing scooters and small motorcycles.

Scooters are seen as independent ,cheap forms of transport. But the drawback of scooters are that they are easy to pick up and move around – and steal.

The first incident was reported on 12 April, when two men driving a white Opel Corsa allegedly stole a scooter in the parking lot of Rock Cottage shopping centre.

Unbeknown to the two thieves, a CCTV camera recorded them.

“After we locked up two men approached the parking lot where a scooter was standing in the early morning hours,” Dean O’Neill, manager of a pub in the centre recounted.

“They walked around the premises, presumably to scout, and they walked around for about an hour.” One suspect remained in the passenger seat of the vehicle while the other, dressed in a light blue shirt and a hoodie, broke off the plastic cover protecting the scooter’s ignition. He broke the gear lock and put the scooter into neutral.

Amazingly, the scooter could fit into the confined boot of the vehicle.

“He then opened up the boot of the tiny car, pushed the scooter towards it, and then loaded it into the vehicle,” O’Neill said.

A staff member of the pub identified one of the suspects and gave the details to the owner of the scooter who reported the incident to the police.

A Honeydew police officer confirmed that several cases of motorcycle theft had been reported and that an investigation will be launched to look into the matter.

Motorcyclists need to remember that scooters are easy targets because they are easy to move around, Randburg police spokesperson Johannes Maja warned.

“A basic chain lock that goes through the back wheel of the bike will make it harder for these criminals to push the scooters around,” he suggested.

No further comment was received from Honeydew police on the status of the investigation but Maja urged motorcyclists to be vigilant and make sure that their scooters are safely parked.

Honeydew police invite anyone with additional information to come forward.

Details: Honeydew Police Station 011 801 8400.