Berea police have noticed an increase in copper theft and want to make the public aware when undertaking large renovations to be extra vigilant.
According to Lieutenant PN Naidoo, communications officer at Berea Police Station, members of the Crime Prevention Unit were patrolling Avondale Road on Wednesday afternoon, 25 September when they came across a suspicious man carrying a heavy bag.
“The members decided to stop and search the man. When they stopped him, he dropped the bag and ran away. They gave chase and caught him and took him back to where he threw the bag and found it was full of copper pipes,” said Naidoo.
The suspect told police he stole the copper pipes from a construction site close by and was arrested for theft and detained.
In a second incident, on Friday, 27 September also on Avondale Road, Berea police were called in after a security guard caught a man stealing copper pipes from a large construction site in the area.
The suspect was arrested for theft and detained at Berea SAPS.
“The community is being very helpful by calling us when crimes take place. We want to encourage more people to do this so that all criminals can be brought to book,” said Naidoo.
Berea police were called to assist a Musgrave businessman on Thursday, 26 September after cash had gone missing from the business.
After investigations Berea detectives arrested a staff member. “The woman was arrested for theft of cash,” said Naidoo.
Don’t leave visible valuables in cars
Berea police have again appealed to the community to be extra vigilant about leaving valuables visible in parked cars.
This comes after an incident reported on Monday, 30 September where a car was broken into and valuables including a substantial amount of US dollars were taken.
“The complainant left US dollars in his car, as well as a cellphone and sunglasses which were exposed in the backseat of the car. Unfortunately, criminals are opportunists and exposing valuables makes one vulnerable.
“Our officers have once again noticed valuables like laptops left in the back seats which is very concerning. We also want the public to be more careful when leaving their cars parked, check and ensure your car is properly locked as criminals are also using remote jammers,” he advised.
