Pretoria Moot police recently raised their concerns about theft at shopping centres.
Police spokesperson Captain Anton Breedt said several cases have been reported recently about residents having their wallets stolen from their handbags or pockets while busy shopping.
“With the last case reported, a 40-year-old woman was busy with her monthly shopping at a well-known retail shop in the Gezina area,” he said.
“After collecting everything, she went to the tills to pay – only to discover that her wallet was stolen from her handbag.”
Breedt said the woman placed her handbag in the trolley while shopping.
“By doing that, she became a target to criminal elements moving about in the shop, looking for their next victim,” he said.
The woman also lost her driver’s license, bank- and other cards.
He said with the festive season almost in full swing, people tend to get careless and absentminded – only thinking about the holidays and parties with family and friends.
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On another note, Breedt said 18 people were arrested for various crimes over the weekend.
Weekend crime prevention operations were conducted in Brooklyn, Garsfontein, Lyttelton, Sunnyside, Villieria, Pretoria Moot and Silverton.
“The focus of the operation was to address priority crimes such as common assault, property-related crimes, drug abuse and driving under the influence of alcohol,” he said.
During this operation, members of the police – joined by community police forum (CPF) patrollers and security companies working in the area – searched the dilapidated Melgisedek building in Riviera.
“There we recovered six stolen cellphones, jewellery and 46 Ziploc bags stuffed with dagga,” he said.
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“The dagga had an estimated street value of R1 000 and was ready to be sold.”
He urged residents to report any suspicious activities, persons or vehicles in their residential areas.
“This is also one of the things the Pretoria Moot police have been warning the public about.”
“The Pretoria Moot police welcomes all initiatives and assistance to prevent crime from taking place,” he said.
“It is common knowledge that most crimes are not committed in the absence of the police, but in the presence of members of the public.”
Acting Station Commander Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Nekhumbe urged residents to assist the Moot police in the fight against property-related crimes.
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