Authorities closing in on gate motor syndicate

The theft of gate motors has been one of the most prolific crimes in South Africa for years. The Northside has been no exception, with gate motor theft becoming a daily occurrence in recent years.

Luckily, due to the diligence of Beagle Watch Security’s dedicated crime prevention unit, a gate motor syndicate that has been active in the Northside, and as far out as Linden and Greenside, is that much closer to being shut down for good.

According to Beagle Watch’s area manager, Cobus Botes, investigations using CCTV resources enabled Beagle Watch to identify a vehicle that is frequently seen at or near the scenes of gate motor thefts in the area.

“An operation was planned for the early hours of February 7, and our crime prevention unit put out a call to all our resources in the area to be on the lookout for the vehicle, a gold-coloured VW and took to the streets,” Botes said and added that this vehicle was linked to, among others, incidents in Radiokop and Weltevreden Park.

• Also read: Gate motor theft a problem on the West Rand

“Reports started coming in from our CCTV resources at around 02:00 that the vehicle had been spotted in Greenside.

“Crime specialist Leon van Zyl had already been on the road roaming the areas in which this vehicle had been active and made his way toward Greenside. After a brief search of the area, the gold VW hatchback was spotted and a high-speed chase ensued.”

Botes said that Van Zyl and the Beagle Watch area officers on duty eventually managed to block the vehicle and detain the three occupants. A search of the vehicle revealed two D5 Smart gate motors as well as a large iron bar that is commonly used to force gate motors out of their protective brackets.

According to Botes, it is obvious from evidence collected as well as from suspect statements that they are part of a syndicate that has been active in the area for some time.

The owner of the vehicle turned out to be a person who hires his vehicle out to e-hailing drivers. The driver of the vehicle, who also works as an e-hailing driver during the day, pays the other two R500 each per night that they accompany him in stealing gate motors. They also receive a R100 bonus each for each gate motor stolen.

“We’ve handed over the suspects and all the evidence to Parkview police,” said Botes. “We’ve also noted information received from the suspects about their offset contact for the stolen gate motors, and will provide any support that the police require to ensure that this syndicate is stopped in its tracks.”

Gate motor thefts in Northside and surrounding areas have been on the increase since 2023 with 63 cases reported for the year.

“There has been a sharp increase in incidents in early 2024, with more than 20 incidents reported in January alone,” he added.