The past two months have been hell for business owners in Nuffield who have experienced a spate of 16 robberies and business owners allegedly believe that this will ultimately lead to the area becoming a “ghost industrial area” if nothing is done to curb criminal activities.
According to Springs police spokesman Captain Johannes Ramphora within the past two months, five companies have been broken into a total of 16 times.
“This is of great concern to the police as well as the business sector,” says Capt Ramphora.
The most recent took place at Rail Switch last Tuesday, close on the heels of the company’s last robbery on October 3.
According to Marius Lubbe, salesman and buyer at Rail Switch the robbers do more damage than taking anything.
The robbers gained access to the premises by breaking open one of the cement palisades. They also broke the burglar bars on the bathroom window and gained entry to the building.
Capt Ramphora says the ceilings of all the offices have holes in them, some even two, where robbers gained entry to the offices.
“A man living on the premises heard a noise coming from the office at 4am and called the police,” says Lubbe.
Spring police Captain Jan Nel says they have tasked Community Police Forum patrol vehicles with patrolling the area more frequently due to the increase in robberies in the industrial area.
A small committee was launched last Wednesday between police, CPFs, security guards and businesses to identify the robbers’ hot spots.
“Most of the thieves use the railway line as their main entrance to the factories,” says Capt Ramphora.
Capt Nel, who was appointed as chairman of the committee, says a Selpark CPF vehicle patrolled the area at the time of the break-in and chased the two robbers who were carrying a computer screen, box and a bag.
“They dropped the bag but ran away with the computer,” says Selpark CPF spokesman Louis Hennings.
The bag contained electrical machine cables and two drilling machines.
Owner of Rail Switch Ian Gordon says he has come to the point of considering closing down this family business and going to Australia.
“The people working for me will be without jobs, but break-ins are getting out of hand,” adds Gordon.
It is alleged on the the other business owners who also recently suffered a break-in said Nuffield will turn into a ghost industrial area.
Several options have been given to companies by the committee but with the necessary technology not yet in place, the CPFs need the cooperation of the businesses.
“Selpark CPF invested a lot of money in new security technology, but we still need more to make it possible to prevent robberies from taking place in the area,” says Hennings.
