North Coast residents urged to be on the lookout following crime spike

Ballito neighbourhood watch groups have urged residents to be vigilant and take extra precautions following an increase in house burglaries.

Ballito Neighbourhood Watch chairperson Candice Henderson said crime had been on the increase in their precinct in recent weeks.

“I think residents are not used to having to look after their property and be as vigilant as they had to be since November 2018 when the crime surge started. Ballito is not a high crime area, so this has pulled the rug from under many residents’ feet.

“I do think that responsibility is primarily with residents to take care of their home security as much as possible.

“Crime prevention is multi-faceted and shows that it is not just one thing but a number of endeavours that achieve results. I would urge residents to know their neighbours, they are the closest people to help you when things go wrong,” said Henderson.

Kyle van Reenen from Marshall Security advised residents to look after their homes and ensure that security systems were working efficiently.

“Contact our control room regularly and conduct tests. Ensure the systems are armed at all times even when you are at home. I think in general South Africans are aware there is a crime problem but we seem to think it will not affect us until it is on our doorstep. We need to shift this mindset if we are to get ahead of the criminal element.”
Van Reenen said the crime stats in the area were inconsistent with the actual crimes figures as many incidents did not get reported.

“We see as a lot of crime go unreported to the SAPS and this is an ongoing problem which needs to be addressed by the SAPS,” he said.

“This includes leaving doors unlocked or secured with cheap and easy to break locks. Do not leave windows open, especially where it seems too small for an average sized adult to enter. Accumulated newspapers and letters advertise that no-one is home. Bushes around entry gates also make an ideal hiding place for criminals.”

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