Becoming a crime statistic

Being added to the statistics as a victim of crime is not something that one relishes.

This past weekend your intrepid reporter has again fallen victim to crime.

After months and months of staying at home and not wanting to leave our sanctuary unattended, we decided to take a break and attend our mother’s 90th birthday celebration in Gauteng.

After making the necessary arrangements and securing the home as best we could, we set off, looking forward to the break.

Arriving back home to discover the chaos left behind by burglars leaves a hollow feeling in one’s stomach.

The feeling of shock and utter dismay at discovering one’s home and private space has been violated is difficult to describe.

Then one tries to take stock of what’s missing. Not having any possessions of great value, one’s mind briefly goes into “relax” mode.
But as one wades through the chaotic rooms and broken doors, more discoveries are made.

The old box-type computer, given to me by my son-in-law more than 10 years ago, was the first “valuable” item I saw was missing. The monetary value is, of course, not as important as the sentimental value and the contents are, sadly, irreplaceable.

All the work and writing done over time is now gone and probably wiped out by the thief or whoever might buy the stolen goods. The damage done to one’s home must now also be repaired and unforeseen expenses are incurred.

Viewed in the greater scheme of things the loss and damage incurred in this case pales into insignificance compared to what other unfortunate victims of crime have suffered.

Sure, one must be grateful that things were not worse and grateful we were not home, otherwise we might have been injured or even killed by the burglars as many families can testify to.

But once again it is the victims that are the ones that must be grateful, while the criminals go on their merry way.

One finds oneself asking the question: Is it really poverty that makes thieves do what they do or is it simply an arrogant “because I can” attitude?

We all have been victims of crime somewhere along the line and until the community at large decides to band together to provide the police with information or parents ask serious questions as to where their children obtained their new-found possessions, we will all continue to be subjected to crime in one form or another.

So, let us all become whistle-blowers and make sure criminals have nowhere to hide.

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