Beware of gate crashers

BLUE Security has warned residents of brazen housebreakers who are derailing driveway gates and cutting gate locks to gain entry to properties.

Blue Security managing director Henk Van Bemmelen said several of these housebreaking incidents had been reported to the company across the city, from Westville, Pinetown, La Lucia and in Durban, where criminals were “gate-crashing” properties in broad daylight.

Van Bemmelen said the latest incident was reported last week after a gang of housebreakers targeted a property in Myro Drive in Glenmore.

“The gang cut the locks of the driveway gate arms and then forced open the home’s security gate to gain entry. They fled with cellphones, a laptop and a computer game console,” he said.

A business in Station Road, Umgeni, was also the target of housebreakers who cut the roller shutter lock to break into the property and steal a television and a computer.

Van Bemmelen urged residents to install additional sensors linked to the house alarm to all external gates on the property, to create an early warning system in case of tampering.

“Adding additional sensors onto external gates is an inexpensive but highly effective minor enhancement to a home security system that will sound the alarm and alert you to the presence of intruders on your property before they can proceed further and enter your home,” he said.

Van Bemmelen urged residents not to confront intruders if they were home during a housebreaking but to rather lock themselves in a safe room on the property and call for help.

“Our crime statistics show victims who confront and resist intruders are more likely to face injury as in many cases criminals are armed with guns or knives,” he said.

Van Bemmelen advised residents to also be on the lookout for any suspicious movements of a grey VW Polo that was used by a gang that attempted to steal a car parked on the street in South Ridge Road, Glenwood, last week.