Crime surge anticipated as festive season approaches
“I appeal to our motorists not to stop in secluded areas."
A surge in vehicle-related crimes, house break-ins and business robberies was anticipated as the festive season draws closer, a private security company in the Centurion area and police have warned.
“We urge residents to safeguard their belongings at all times and always ensure their houses and vehicles are properly locked,” Monitor Net spokesperson JP le Roux said.
He said residents should also ensure they have good alarms and panic systems in working order at home and work.
“Safety starts at home and with yourself. Do not make it easy for a criminal to make you part of the statistics. Be vigilant of your surroundings and stay alert.”
Le Roux’s warning comes days after Tshwane SAPS district commissioner Major General Hilda Mohajane said they were experiencing a “lot” of hijackings.
“I appeal to our motorists not to stop in secluded areas,” she said, explaining that this was usually when they were attacked and robbed of their vehicles.
Mohajane also urged residents to be vigilant as they approached their homes, as this was also a time they could be attacked.
“Sometimes motorists are hijacked when they get to their residential areas,” she said.
She also encouraged motorists to ensure they were not being followed and to be safe before they opened their gates.
Mohajane, however, reassured residents that police would be “out in their numbers” to ensure their safety.
READ MORE: Common festive crimes in the east
The latest crime statistics for July to September 2020 showed that a 64.4% increase in so-called “trio” crimes (residential robbery, car hijacking and business robbery) was recorded at the Olievenhoutbosch police station.
A whopping 128.6% increase in robbery at residential premises was also recorded at the same police station, along with a 64.7% increase at the Wierdabrug police station plus a 50% increase at Erasmia police station.
Carjackings also saw a significant increase at various police stations in the area, except Laudium police station which saw a 100% drop.
The highest increase in carjackings was recorded at the Olievenhoutbosch police station – 72.4% while the increase recorded at Erasmia police station was 50%.
Wierdabrug police station recorded a 35.7% increase in carjackings while Lyttelton police station recorded a 6.7% increase.
Robberies at non-residential premises, however, saw significant decreases at three police stations – Lyttelton, Laudium and Olievenhoutbosch – while a 55.6% increase was recorded at Wierdabrug police station and a 0% change recorded at Erasmia police station.
The decrease recorded at Lyttelton police station stood at 58.3%, a 33.3% drop at the Laudium police station and a 6.3% decrease at Olievenhoutbosch.
During the announcement of the crime statistics, police minister Bheki Cele said overall home invasions had increased by 8.5%.
“On the other hand, cases of business robberies have declined by the same percentage [and] it is also encouraging to see that the third leg of the so-called trio crimes is showing a decrease of 1.6%,” he said.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
