EDITOR – Your online story on the theft of a down light at Umbilo Vet prompted me to write.
It’s actually the second time that they have been affected by crime (as far as I know) in two months, only this time it affected them directly. The first time I was affected. On 7 August I pulled in at around 5.15pm to the Umbilo Vet parking lot to purchase my pet food for the month. I got sidetracked inside because of an incoming cold snap and deliberating about what size jersey would fit my pooch.
Upon returning to my vehicle I immediately discovered that both my work and personal cellphones were missing from the front seat where I had left them under a towel on the charger. Might seem negligent, but it was my corner vet, I was going to be five minutes and I was parked inside.
I knew I had locked my car and so I immediately went back inside and asked for the CCTV footage to be displayed. I was asked to wait until all the patients had been seen to. The receptionist tried to call my phone which rang once and then was switched off. Upon reviewing the CCTV footage eventually it was found that a charcoal Renault Clio pulled into the parking lot. A male went straight to my vehicle, opened the door and took my belongings. Clearly I had been remote jammed. The case was reported to Umbilo SAPS the next day, footage submitted to my insurance and the claim settled.
I am just disappointed that other clients aren’t warned. I understand that it is a business and the impact of bad press, but people are clearly in a comfort zone when they get there, like I was. It is not a mainstream shopping centre where this is expected. Don’t get me wrong, they have been tremendously helpful in assisting to get the CCTV footage without which I would have had zero claim with my insurers. It just seems like crime is creeping closer to previously untargetted community businesses and people shouldn’t let their guard down.
Des
Umbilo
Response from Umbilo Vet:
We do try our best to keep our patients and clients safe, but unfortunately we live in a country where crime is the norm. In this case it was a single suspected case of jamming and our staff did place notices up immediately to warn other clients. These were later removed when it became evident that this suspected case was a single isolated event.
Dr Collings was on his own that day and felt that the welfare of his sick patients was more urgent than video footage which could be retrieved later. The theft of our light and phones from our client’s vehicle was opportunistic and it is very difficult to protect against except by being constantly vigilant.
People should also take precautions and not leave valuables in their cars which only act as a temptation to these criminals whether they are at home, at their local vet or in a shopping centre.
Dr Rabie/Dr Collings
Umbilo Veterinary Clinic
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