Still no trace on west ‘sledgehammer burglars’
Last year around August, police said that the group burgled close to nine tuck shops.
There has been no trace of the sledgehammer-wielding burglars said to be causing havoc in Atteridgeville.
Last year around August, police said that the group burgled close to nine tuck shops.
Speaking to Rekord, the Atteridgeville police spokesperson said no other related robberies were reported since the last case back in August.
“The hammer boys have not been caught yet but investigations are ongoing,” she said.
Last year, the group of three to five men operated in informal settlements where they broke the walls of tuck shops with a sledgehammer and stole cash.
After nine cases were opened, Atteridgeville police station commander Brigadier Mbangwa Nkhwashu said the matter needed urgent attention.
“This is of great concern to us as people’s livelihoods are being taken by thugs who don’t respect the difficult times we are currently facing.”
He then advised the community not to approach the suspects as they were armed and dangerous.
“The safety of the community of Atteridgeville is a mandate taken very seriously by the men and women in blue who continue the fight against crime.
“However the community is also tasked to make sure that criminals don’t feel comfortable in doing crime in Atteridgeville. This can be achieved by establishing neighbourhood watches and patrols, informing the police of any criminal activities,” he said.
Despite the spate of business and house robberies experienced in Atteridgeville last year, Rikhotso said the major crime levels were relatively low in the past weeks.
“Although we can’t divulge statistics in terms of the rising number in terms of crime patterns in Atteridgeville, I can confirm that in the past week, there hasn’t been any major incidents especially around the Easter weekend,” she said.
Rikhotso also said that the community needed to be more involved and keep in touch with the local police.
“Anonymous tip-offs are a strong and useful tool that help the police to curb crime, make sure you do your part,” she said.
Members of the community should call 10111 or call the station directly at 012-384-1101.
A sector vehicle can also be contacted on 071-675-6434/35 to report suspicious characters.
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