POLOKWANE – Being pickpocketed is the last thing one thinks will happen while standing in the queue at the municipality to pay one’s electricity account.
But this is what happened to Lukas Herbst recently while running his monthly bill-paying errands.
“I knew I had had my wallet with me earlier, as I gave my son some money just before going to stand in the queue. After paying my bill, I reached into my pocket and my wallet was gone.
“I looked around to see if I had perhaps dropped it and eventually came to the conclusion that it had been stolen,” Herbst said.
He said he approached a security guard for assistance, asking him to check the CCTV system to ascertain what had occurred. However, the security guard was unable to assist as, according to him, the CCTV system had not been working for a long time. Municipal spokesperson, Matshidiso Mothapo said the CCTV system had been damaged by lightning recently, rendering some of the equipment irreparable. He added that a contractor had been appointed to replace the damaged equipment.
According to Mothapo, the cameras were situated in the building to ensure maximum coverage.
“The incident is unfortunate. There cannot be absolute certainty that the customer lost his wallet while he was in the building,” he said.
He said there were hundreds of people visiting the building daily and the building was manned by security personnel in order to ensure their safety. The municipality was putting all measures in place to ensure that visitors and customers were safe while on its premises, he added. “In the event of any incident happening, the incident can be reported to the security desk at any of our buildings, where the officer will take the details of the complainant and relay the complaint to the relevant personnel member. Information will also be forwarded to the police,” Mothapo said.
Provincial police spokesperson, Col Ronél Otto said CCTV footage could be used in a variety of ways to strengthen a case against a suspect to ensure an conviction. She said such footage would be especially useful in a case such as pickpocketing, as such a crime was very difficult to prove.
She said a case of theft could still be opened at the police station, but with no proof it would be very difficult to get a suspect into custody.
“Pickpocketing is not a seasonal crime and can happen anywhere at anytime,” she said, urging people to be aware of their surroundings and make sure they were sure of where their personal belongings were at all times.
