THERE were new faces at the March meeting of the Umbilo/Glenmore Neighbourhood Watch, where those in attendance were informed of crime trends in the area.
Chairperson, Wally Coombe, reported housebreakings were occurring in the early morning between 3.30am and 4.30am. He said a house in Myro Drive had its gate derailed and stable door smashed, and although the security company arrived within minutes of the alarm being sounded the thieves got away with two plasma TVs.
He noted that there had been a number of thefts of Weber braais, bikes and clothes from wash lines and urged people not to leave anything visible that could tempt thieves. Fence-hopping had also been noted in surrounding areas, and he advised residents not to go out to investigate if their dog was barking as fence-hoppers were often armed. The fence-hoppers are also responsible for taking cellphones and similar small objects through open windows.
Coombe said more people were taking pictures of crimes and posting them on social media and that this could jeopardise a criminal case as defence lawyers might argue that in the case of an ID parade the accused’s picture had been posted for everyone to see.
The issue of the trucks parking illegally close to the Queensmead Spar was discussed and Coombe said Metro police had been fining the culprits R1000.
Blue Security advised residents to change the code frequency on their remotes when they bought a new property.
At the next meeting on 14 May, Coombe will be hoping to give a PowerPoint presentation showing methods of home invasions.
