House robberies, one of the most feared crimes have increased.
In SpringValley Ms Masesi Mabuya fell victim to the crime on October 20 when she was sound asleep at around 03:00.
Mabuya told police that three suspects broke into her room. They apparently assaulted her with an unknown object, covered her face with a blanket and grabbed her by her throat.
The suspects demanded all her money and when she told them she does not have any, they apparently kept on assaulting her.
Her screams woke a neighbour who rushed to her aid.
The robbers fled with Mabuya’s Samsung cell phone.
In most cases it is common practise for robbers to prey on the innocent in the early hours of the morning.
Prof Rudolph Zinn, professor of Policing and Forensic Investigation at the University of South Africa conducted research into understanding and preventing house robbery in South Africa.
ALSO READ
Brave girl keeps calm in house robbery
House robberies, a persistent problem.
Based on in-depth interviews with convicted robbers, he found that most attacks occur between 19:00 and midnight as people is relaxed, sleeping, cooking or watching TV and the security systems and beams are not activated. Robberies can continue until 04:00.
Amongst his findings were that on average, an armed robbery gang has four members and the average age of a house robber is 19 to 26 years of age.
Prof Zinn found that perpetrators would prefer to choose targets in neighbourhoods that had many entrance and exit points with easy access to main roads and where street security was low or non-existent.
Spring Valley is such a neighbourhood.
Mabuya told police that she recognised one of her attackers as a man who also lives in Spring Valley. This is also echoed in Prof Zinn’s findings that most attackers’ homes or ‘bases’ are a 10 to 30 minute drive from the target address.
Capt Eddie Hall, police spokesperson stressed the importance of ‘thinking like a criminal’.
“Walk around your home and scout out its weaknesses. The best way to protect your home from the outside is to survey it with the eyes of a burglar. If you can easily tell that a window could be forced open, a thief will definitely be able to come to the same conclusion,” Capt Hall said.
Spring Valley falls under sector three.
The South African Community Crime Watch is very active in the area and responds quickly when trouble brews.
Make sure you save the following numbers on your phone: Lukas Smith: 071 014 4792 and join the neighbourhood watch.
