Brass house numbers targeted for scrap
Police suspect brass house numbers are being stolen by scrap dealers.
WHILE it may not be a trend, brass house numbers are being stolen off residents houses. Durban North SAPS communications officer, Lt Raymond Deokaran, said while there had been no reported cases, he was contacted by a Campbell Drive resident whose brass house numbers had been stolen.
“The resident, who works at a local school, also found one of the teachers had her house numbers stolen. We believe the scrap dealers may be linked to the cases,” he said.
He urged residents, despite the scale of the crime, to report cases to the Durban North station. Haden Searles, the current chairman of Durban North and uMhlanga CPF concurred with Deokaran saying cases could help the crime prevention unit formulate plans to combat it.
“I haven’t heard of many cases of brass number theft but many cases do go unreported. In years gone by, scrap dealers have stolen steel railings off bridges.
”Unfortunately there’s money in it, whether its copper, metal or brass. It’s sad when you can’t leave anything in your garden that is not bolted down,” Searles said.
