Alarming increase of house burglaries in Mbombela
Police have reported that there is an alarming increase in the number of burglaries at residences in and around the city.
MBOMBELA – According to Nelspruit police spokesman Capt Zandile Gwaqa, criminals are targeting houses during the day when people have gone to work. “Or during the night when families are asleep. This is when they steal laptops, cellphones, television sets, jewelry and any other properties they can lay their hands on.”
She said some of the affected areas were Steiltes, KaMagugu, Sonheuwel, West Acres, Mataffin and Sonpark.
Safety Tips:
Keep all doors and windows locked. (Use good quality locks, criminals are quick to spot locks that may easily be forced open)
Keep shrubbery trimmed away from entrances and walkways
Engrave an identification mark on your properties on an area that cannot be easily dismantled or seen (marked items is difficult for a criminal to sell. If a criminal is caught with a marked item, it is evidence of stolen goods and the owner can easily identify it if it’s recovered.)
Create and keep a list of serial numbers of all your items in a safe place.
Do not hide spare keys outside your home, instead give a spare key to a trusted neighbour or family member.
Nelspruit Station Commander Brig Prince Ngobeni issued a stern warning to people who are buying stolen goods. He said that such people will be arrested and charged for possession of suspected stolen property. He also requested the community to reject and report stolen properties.
Nelspruit SAPS can be contacted on 013-759-1008 or they can call 08600-10111.
