NEWCASTLE – Burglars are targeting more and more households, with no end in sight.
Tommy Goosen claimed his home was targeted four times in six months.
“The first time was in October last year. Since then I have had people getting into my yard twice, and on the fourth time, they cleared my home,” he said.
The burglars stole a hi-fi, projector, microwave, clothing, pillows, duvets and even food from the freezer.
“They jumped over my fence and broke the gate motor so they could slide the gate open, bring their car in and take my belongings,” he said.
Mr Goosen said while it was traumatic to have one’s house burgled twice, what perturbed him the most, was that the burglaries took place in broad daylight.
“It occurred at 3pm. My wife was on her way home with the children; what if the burglars had been there when my family got home?” he asked.
Sharon van der Walt believes, like others, crime has spiralled out of control and people’s lives are endangered.
“Our whole lifestyle has changed because of continuous burglaries. Our residential area has never been faced with a situation like this before.”
Ms van der Walt recently woke up to find a strange man attempting to open the front door of her house.
“When he saw me, he bolted. This is scary, but we should not have to live in fear!” she exclaimed.
Another resident who wished to remain anonymous, explained he was targeted twice in a span of three weeks.
“I live in Hutten Heights and my house was cleaned out twice. The first time, I was out and my family photos, iPad, computer and surround sound system were taken. The second time, they took my television, jewellery, guns and money.”
Most disturbing is that he and his family were inside the house during the second burglary.
“There were four of us with three dogs. None of us woke up during the incident. I suspect they must have used something to put us to sleep as we all felt groggy the next day.”
He now is worried that the burglars may become violent.
“Why else would they want to take guns if they did not intend to use them?” he asked.
Lizzy Arumugam of SAPS Corporate Communications claimed police had increased patrols in the area in an attempt to address the matter.
However, residents claim there is no increased police visibility.
“I work with my security service, as you cannot rely on the police. There is absolutely no police visibility and a total lack of communication from the SAPS. It seems suburbs will have to do their own policing,” said Barbara Eliot, whose house was targeted twice by burglars.
Mr Goosen explained through his line of work, he spends a lot of his time on roofs but sees very little police patrolling.
As residents grow fearful and are on edge, Jaun de Heer, a resident from Signal Hill has created a neighbourhood watch in an attempt to eradicate burglaries.
“My home was burgled twice. I have a wife and two children; I have to be proactive in order to keep them safe. I do not want my children growing up like this,.”
Andrè Potgieter of a security company believes residents’ fears are not unfounded as he has noticed a drastic increase in burglaries since May.
“It is all over town, but it seems certain areas are targeted more than others,” he said.
It is speculated burglaries are more prevalent in areas perceived to be affluent, such as Signal Hill, Aviary Hill, and Hutten Heights.
Mr Potgieter and Mr de Heer strongly advise residents to make use of security services and neighbourhood watch groups.
“Security companies work with the police, so they know whom to contact when your home has been targeted. Also, through getting to know your neighbours and starting a group, you can contact someone close-by for help until your security provider and police arrived,” Mr Potgieter emphasised.
Residents demand visible policing before burglars resort to violence.
“What is worrying, is that the burglars are becoming more and more brazen. I was called out to a home during the week, where a man went into a house and robbed an elderly couple at knifepoint,” Mr de Heer said.
Allegedly, the ominous presence of a white box shaped BMW and a black Audi is the common demoninator where burglaries took place.
Residents are urged to be vigilant and report suspicious looking people, and to take safety measures around their homes to minimise the chances of being burgled.
Businesses do not escape the ongoing scourge of burglaries.
A secondhand shop in Ayliff Street was burgled last week.
“They gained access to the store and only took our small cash safe,” said owner, Gren-Hilda Duval de Villeneuve.
Allegedly, she and her husband were notified on Wednesday night that the alarm at the shop was going off.
“We first suspected it might be a false alarm, but my husband went to meet the security guards and they did not see anything. However, when my shop assistant opened the store on Thursday morning, she called me to say we had been burgled.”
While upset her business was targeted by burglars, Mrs Duval de Villeneuve said no valuables were stolen.
“My husband and I decided years ago not to keep anything of extreme value in the store in case of something like this happened, so we keep no cellphones, jewellery or anything like that.”
The shop was allegedly one of four businesses that were targeted last week.
The SAPS were contacted regarding the continuous surge of burglaries and how they would address the matter, but no comment was forthcoming at the time of going to print.
