Theft on the rise in the Moot
The Hercules police recently launched an awareness campaign to warn residents against falling victim to such crimes in the area.
The Hercules police recently launched awareness campaigns for certain crimes on the rise in the area.
One of the campaigns included how to use ATMs safely.
Two men were arrested for robbing a woman in Pretoria Gardens last Wednesday.
The incident happened around 11:30, according to police spokesperson Captain Bonginkosi Msimango.
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The victim was withdrawing cash at the ABSA ATM when one suspect shoved her from behind so that she dropped her card, he said.
The suspect grabbed the card and the men fled in a silver-grey Mercedes Benz.
Msimango said the victim phoned sector 3 CPF chairperson Christo de Villiers who chased and apprehended the two men in Gustav Adolph Street near the police station.
The police urged residents to be vigilant when making use of an ATM.
They warned residents never give out a card PIN to anyone, for any reason.
“Do not write your PIN on the card or anything that is kept with the card and do not insert your card until asked to do so,” they said.
“Never use an ATM with a blank screen and, if the ATM is obscured from view or poorly lit, leave immediately and find another ATM.”
They advised users to always stand close to an ATM and use their body and hand to prevent prying eyes from seeing their PIN.
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“Also make sure you keep your hand over the card slot to make sure nobody can swop or take your card,” they said.
“Never accept help from strangers.”
Another crime that the police created awareness about was burglaries.
They said that residents should always ensure that all doors and windows were properly locked when leaving the house or going to sleep.
“Outside doors are often made of non-solid material and bad quality locks which make it easy for them to be kicked open.”
They said that many criminals entered a house through patio doors.
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“Extra locks will ensure that the patio doors cannot be lifted out of their rails,” the police said.
“Garage doors and other doors leading to the house should never be left unlocked and locks should always be replaced when moving into a new house.”
The police said theft of motor vehicle, theft out of motor vehicle and theft from motor vehicles were also of concern.
They said these types of thefts of motor vehicles were increasing all the time.
“The Hercules police want to ensure that you, as car owner [do] not become another statistic of crime,” they said.
They advised residents to note the identification marks for their vehicle, for example, damage, broken windows or stickers.
“If a tracker system is placed on (sic) a car, know who is your service provider and their contact details,” they said.
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They said when parking a vehicle, make sure that everything was properly locked.
“Double check if everything is locked and never keep a copy of vehicle registration papers in the vehicle.”
The police said if car guards were available and they approached you, always check if they had any form of identification.
“Never give any money to them before you return to your vehicle,” the police advised.
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