Watch: Caught checking out the goods

“If it weren’t for my neighbours’ quick reaction after seeing the suspicious behaviour on their CCTV camera, this could have ended very differently,” said George Wilhelm.

Witpoortjie residents are requested to be on the lookout for a dark-colour BMW or Mercedes-Benz with shiny mags operating in the area. On the the evening of 1 December a car drove past Wilhelm’s house on Retief Street and dropped off a male. The man then proceeded to walk along the property wall in a crouched position. It appeared as if he was trying to see what was in the yard. The footage showed that as the man reached the end of the wall, however, he turned around, looked at the camera and casually strolled away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxeyP72uLjc&feature=youtu.be

Wilhelm, who is a Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officer, said he was not sure what they were after. “It could be my two vehicles or the motorcycle. But, I think, when he saw the motorcycle was JMPD branded, he changed his mind.”

Wilhelm urges the community to be very vigilant and not turn a blind eye when they see something suspicious or out of the ordinary.

“The modus operandi of these guys is simple. They drive past your house, drop off one or two people to check it out, and drive around the block. By the time they return, the deed has already been done and they disappear,” said Wilhelm.

He urges people to put in some extra effort and report these types of sightings the neighbourhood watch, and give a description of the vehicle and those involved, if possible.

He concluded by saying, “If people report this and become more involved in fighting or trying to prevent crime, people’s lives can be saved and robberies and housebreakings could be prevented”.

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