IN the past month, no fewer than six houses in the Southport area have been targeted by housebreakers.
Bendigo Road appears to have been particularly hard-hit:
* Last Saturday at about 1.50pm a 64-year-old man was accosted by four men as he approached the door to his house. They forced him at gunpoint to open the door before binding his hands and forcing him to lie on the bed beside his wife. The men ransacked the house and fled with cellphones, a laptop, cash and jewellery.
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* In another incident last Thursday night, a 61-year-old man was awoken when he heard dogs barking. When he and his wife checked they saw that a window had been forced open and a flat screen television, two cellphones and some groceries had been stolen.
* Last Monday, a 78-year-old man heard dogs barking at about 9pm. He went to check but saw nothing suspicious. “Two hours later the dogs barked again. He pressed the panic button and saw two intruders ru“n away,” said police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Zandra Wiid. “He went to lie down and shortly afterwards was disturbed by a loud noise. The intruders had broken a window in order to enter the home. They demanded the man’s television set, which he had hidden away.” The men then ransacked the bedroom. They fled with a laptop and cellphone.
* On July 3 at about 12.45am a 73-year-old woman was woken by dogs barking. She said she saw a shadow before someone forced the door open.
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“Her husband fetched his firearm just before they were confronted by the intruders who demanded cash. They intruders stabbed the man in the arm with a screwdriver and disarmed him,” said Lt-Col Wiid. “They fled, taking the firearm and seven live rounds.”
Gray Road
* In the early hours of July 23, a 71-year-old man was awoken by his alarm sounding. When he went to investigate he discovered that a window had been removed and a laptop had been stolen.
* On the night of July 20, an 86-year-old woman went to sleep as usual. When she woke up the next morning, she discovered that her home had been broken into and a laptop was missing.
Police have warned that there appeared to be an increase in reports of housebreakings and robberies at complexes in the area which houses predominantly elderly people.
Precautions
“People, especially the elderly, should take extra precautions to safeguard themselves,” said Lt-Col Wiid.
“It is important to install safety gates and burglar guards and keep these locked at all times. Also, be alert when leaving and approaching your home, especially after dark. Always leave lights on inside your home and install enough lights outside to increase visibility at night.”
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