Dog thefts could be linked to burglaries

POLOKWANE – The Polokwane police are looking into the possibility that the theft of dogs in and around the central business district are linked to burglaries in the area.

According to some residents, since Friday, April 24 six families living in Rissik, Marshall and Suid Street lost their pets while the families were not at home. Two of the six houses were burgled and another family reported trespassers in their yards over the past long weekend.

Mike and Juanita van Heerden told Review that their seven-month-old Jack Russell crossbreed, was taken from their home in Rissik Street on Friday, April 24. “We got home after visiting family and found that Cindy was not in the yard. There was no way for her to get out and all the gates were closed properly. She is still missing,” Juanita told Review.

On Monday, April 27 the family woke up to the sound of their front gate closing and found that they had been burgled while they were asleep. “The burglars gained access through the open sliding door that we used to keep open for Cindy to get in and out. The security gate was locked, but they managed to open a window next to the sliding door by shoving their hand through the bars at the open sliding door. We did not hear them come in or go out except for when the gate closed. They stole a laptop, a flat screen television and two cell phones,” Mike said.

Lawrence Maluleke said his two-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier went missing from his home in Marshall Street on Tuesday, April 28 and his house was burgled two days later. He lost a laptop, his wallet and keys that were lying on the kitchen table.

The Kruger family in Suid Street told Review that they lost their two dogs, a Jack Russell and a Scottish terrier, and the next day found two men walking around in their garden. Jaco Kruger said he saw a movement in his yard through the window and saw two men had climbed over the wall. “I shouted at them and they ran away down the street. If my dogs were here they would have been bleeding,” Kruger said.

According to all families that Review spoke to, the dogs used to served as alarm systems for unexpected and unwanted guests.

Polokwane police spokesperson, Capt Ntobeng Phala, confirmed that animals, especially dogs, being removed from yards was usually related to planned burglaries. “Dogs are an alarm system and if they are killed or taken, or even let out of their yards, it is easier for criminals to break in,” he said.

Phala said criminals usually keep good surveillance on houses targeted for burglaries and residents should contact the community policing forum (CPF) in their areas. “Being part of the CPF means that there are eyes and ears on you and your house and more people being vigilant, it means that crimes in the area decrease,” Phala explained.

He urged residents to report all suspicious activities and all crimes to the police as this would assist the police to be proactive and prevent crime.