A WINIFRED Drive home owner has a Community Crime Prevention Organisation (CCPO) and Blue Security patrol officer to thank after a housebreaker tried but failed to set his house on fire on Thursday, 21 July.
Patrol officer, Mbuyiselo ‘triple M’ Mdunjane responded to an alarm activation at the house at about 3pm, where he noticed a window had been smashed and forced open to gain entry into the garage.
While doing a perimeter check, he noticed a gas cylinder on fire at the back of the property, causing damage to the wall.
When the client arrived, he confirmed that a grass cutter had been stolen from the garage, and it appeared that the thief had attempted to steal the gas cylinder as well, but abandoned it when it caught light.
“A suspect was stopped by Triple M when he spotted him carrying a bush cutter,” said committee member, George Snodey. “After questioning him, it was discovered he had broken in and stolen the bush cutter from a premises in Winifred Drive.”
He took the CCPO officer back to the premises, where the stolen item was returned to its grateful owner. The housebreaker was handed over to Toti SAPS.
In a separate incident, two cellphone thieves were nabbed by the CCPO after they robbed a pedestrian in Briscoe Place at about 10am on Monday, 25 July.
“A client phoned in to say the victim had been held up by two assialants, one armed with a knife and the other with a gun,” said Snodey.
A description of the two was broadcast and CCPO, Blue Security and ET Rapid Response members responded.
About three minutes after the initial call, senior CCPO supervisor, Rupert Smit and SAPS officer Martin Booyens found two men fitting the description in Dan Pienaar Drive.
They were searched and the knife, cellphone and a plastic firearm were found in their possession. The men admitted to the robbery and were taken to the police station to be charged.
The CCPO warns business owners that business burglaries are continuing in the Toti area.
On Sunday morning, 24 July a medical centre in Athlone Park was burgled and three computers and a plasma TV was taken. The thieves got in and out within three minutes.
On Wednesday morning, 27 July a real estate agency was robbed of all its computers in Warner Beach.
“CCPO clients are welcome to contact us and we will advise them on what steps can be taken to safeguard their business premises,” said Snodey.
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