BLUE Security has urged residents and their domestic workers to be vigilant following four armed robberies across the Berea over the past week.
Blue Security managing director Darryn le Grange said in an incident in Cope Road, Morningside, five armed robbers held up a resident as he arrived home at 6.30pm.
“The suspects held up all the occupants of the home and fled in a silver Peugeot 207 with two laptops, four TV’s, two cell phones, car keys, handbags, a PlayStation, an undisclosed amount of cash and jewellery,” he said.
A resident in Berea Road was fortunate to escape unharmed after he used pepper spray on three armed suspects who held him up in his garage. He managed to run out of the garage and the robbers fled.
In the third incident, four armed robbers held up staff at a business in Sydney Road just before 8am and fled with a briefcase containing an undisclosed sum of cash.
Le Grange urged residents and domestic workers to be extremely vigilant when opening the gate for contract workers after robbers posing as workers robbed a home in Meyrick Avenue in Glenwood.
“Three suspects in a silver grey Mercedes arrived and pressed the intercom button. There were contractors on site so the domestic worker assumed it was them and let them in. The suspects tied up the occupants and locked them in the bathroom,” Le Grange said.
A laptop was reported stolen, and one of the suspects dropped his cell phone as he was fleeing.
“Residents are advised to brief their domestic workers not to let anyone into the property during the day. Even if you have planned for the arrival of contractors that need to work on the property it is vital to teach your domestic workers to first check the identity of the caller before opening up. Residents must stay a step ahead of criminals who are clever and cruise the suburbs looking for opportune moments such as this,” he said.
Le Grange commended the work of a reaction officer who foiled a car theft and arrested two alleged thieves. He said the suspects were caught after a resident reported that four suspicious people were parked in a bakkie outside a vacant house in Musgrave Road at 5am.
“When the reaction officer arrived he found the property’s garage door had been forced open and two suspects were still inside the property attempting to steal a scooter. Both were arrested and the two other suspects who were waiting outside the property fled leaving the bakkie behind,” Le Grange said.
Other incidents over the past week included a housebreaking in Arran Road in Morningside where suspects jumped over the front wall and gained entry into the garage by forcing an inter-leading door. Three bicycles were reported stolen. In 9th Avenue in Morningside housebreakers forced open a front door and gate and fled with a television, computer, two screens and a laptop case.
Suspects stole a blue VW Polo which was parked in Musgrave Road. Additional incidents where trespassing, vandalism or housebreaking occurred where it appeared nothing had been stolen occurred in surrounding areas.
