THE owner of a restaurant on Monument Road in Glen Marais extended a heartfelt thanks to ADT LSS guards Wilson Shilabjwe and Noel Hobyani and reaction officer Bheki Ngcobo for catching a thief in his restaurant on the evening of January 15.
At around 4pm on that Sunday evening, staff locked up and left. Officer Wilson was patrolling the area at around 9pm when he spotted movement inside the restaurant. He called Officer Hobyani for assistance.
Together they searched the premises and found that a back window was slightly open. They entered the restaurant and found a padlock on the walk-in fridge had been broken and a black bag and alcohol were lying next to the door.
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They then spotted a suspect hiding in the storeroom and apprehended him.
“It appears to have been an inside job,” says Aslam Munsur, ADT community development manager.
“We surveyed the video footage and it showed that one of the staff members intentionally opened the window and then came around the side of the building to see if the window was properly open. The suspect can be seen hiding behind the dustbins before entering the restaurant through the window.”
Munsur commended the officers on a job well done and reminded employers to consider doing a background check on any potential employees.
“Doing the necessary background checks before hiring may seem like a time-consuming exercise but could make all the difference to your security. Often in cases of break-ins and robberies, inside information has been shared with criminals,” he says. He recommends starting with a criminal record check which can be obtained through the SAPS, with the potential employee’s consent.
He also suggests doing a reference check with previous employers. “Ask questions about dismissals, responsibilities, security issues, punctuality, and so on. Their answers will give you a good idea of the person’s track record.”
