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| | This page contains information of a few incidents of a criminal nature that actually occurred. The purpose is to sharpen crime awareness amongst residents.
We call on any party to submit details of any incident of a criminal nature for
publication here, even
incidents elsewhere that happened a long time ago, to demonstrate what can happen.
2001-12-11: Averted Incident
It was in the early morning hours of Tuesday, 11 December 2001, at 01:17 to be exact. A guard heard a sawing sound at a house. He
immediately alerted others, and the house was investigated. The sound had stopped and no
perpetrators were found. No items were stolen, damage was minor. An incident was successfully averted.
- A proposal where the guard system may be integrated with GridWatch to optimise response from neighbours may be considered
- Some residents have handcuffs and other items ready for making citizen's arrests
- Maintain awareness
2001-12-01: Incident in Barry Hertzog Street
It was a Saturday evening when all the Christmas garden lights were on full display and brightly lit, but the roads in the neighbourhood were strangely
quiet. At about 21:00 the alarm of a house apparently targeted for break-in triggered. The targeted house was three houses away from the one that had the most Christmas garden
lights. The targeted house was fully enclosed by a 2m-high garden wall. The occupants of the targeted house were out for the evening. A neighbour across the road, together with his wife,
were the only ones that heard the alarm, and immediately responded. They saw two tall persons clambering onto the 2m-high garden wall from within the garden,
carrying hi-fi equipment. The alleged perpetrators reached the street, dropping the items, and started running away. The neighbour gave chase for about 300m,
trying to raise verbal alarm. Nobody responded. The alleged perpetrators escaped, while the wife called the police, the house occupants and other neighbours from
a cell phone. The entire event happened within a few minutes. The targeted house had an alarm and two friendly dogs, no armed response. All items were
recovered, some damaged. The police arrived within minutes. It was later found that housebreaking did occur and that the housebreakers prepared their escape beforehand by stacking objects inside the garden
wall to climb onto, permitting
easy access back over the wall. They then broke a window and the burglar proofing, gained entry, triggered the alarm, snatched the items and escaped
without them.
- Give your emergency telephone numbers to your neighbours, so that you may be reached at all times
- Turn up the volume of your alarm, and test frequently
- Respond instantly to an alarm with the right tools (flashlight, firearm, cell phone, and never alone)
- Criminals act fast, without regard to the time of day
- Friendly dogs may not be an effective deterrent
2001-11-27: Incident in de Beer Street
On 27 November 2001 the occupants of a house in de Beer Street went on holiday for a week. That same night burglars entered the house by forcing a window and breaking its burglar-proofing. Although the alarm was armed and set to alert an armed response unit, it did not trigger. The perpetrators avoided the
alarm sensors, probably by staying low. Because their movement was restricted, they removed only personal computers. The lady help discovered the break-in the next morning and called the police. The event probably occurred between 00:00 and 06:00.
- Criminals know how to avoid certain alarm sensors. Check the coverage of the alarm sensors in your house and test frequently.
- Sometimes alarm sensors do not cover areas entirely down to the floor, to permit pets to enter and roam the house while occupants
are away. The sensors may have been installed this way by previous occupants. Low areas may be configured as a separate alarm sector with their
own set of sensors.
2001-11-23: Incident in Brink Street
It was a Friday evening. The targeted house was not fully enclosed by a garden wall. The occupants of the targeted house were out. The entire event happened within a few minutes. The targeted house had an alarm, armed
response and a friendly dog. The perpetrator broke a bedroom window and the burglar proofing, triggering the alarm system, which sounded an alarm
but failed to alert the armed
response. The system hadn't been tested frequently. Various items were missing from the house when the occupants returned by 22:15. Neighbours
didn't hear the alarm.
- Turn up the volume of your alarm, and test frequently
- Friendly dogs may not be an effective deterrent
2001-11-15: Incident in Milner Street
It was a Thursday morning about 11:00. The occupants of the targeted house were out. The targeted house was fully enclosed by a 2m-high garden
wall. The entire event happened within a few minutes. The targeted house had an alarm, armed
response and a friendly dog. The perpetrator broke the back door, triggering the alarm system, which sounded an alarm and alerted the armed
response. When the alarm sounded, the perpetrator disappeared without taking any items from the house. The armed response unit arrived promptly, but after the perpetrator
had gone, and while the alarm was still sounding.
- Criminals act fast, without regard to the time of day
- Friendly dogs may not be an effective deterrent
October 2001: Incident in Barry Hertzog Street
It was a Sunday morning, at about 05:00. The occupants of the targeted house were in. The targeted house was fully enclosed by a 2m-high garden
wall. The targeted house had an alarm, armed
response and friendly dogs. The key was in the front door on the inside. The door was locked. The perpetrator used a special tool to rotate the key, and succeeded in
unlocking the front door. The alarm system triggered when the door was opened, which sounded an alarm and alerted the occupants and an armed
response unit. The perpetrator apparently fled upon hearing the alarm. The occupants investigated and found the front door wide open, undamaged. The
armed response unit arrived promptly. No items were missing from the house.
- Do not leave keys in a door
- Perpetrators act fast, and have special tools
- Friendly dogs may not be an effective deterrent
2001-12-20, Vandalism of post boxes and Christmas garden lights in Barry Hertzog & Clark Streets
At 02:50 on Thursday, 20 December 2001, a banging noise was heard. Somebody saw a stationary red car in front of a house in Barry Hertzog Street. There were two white
males in the car, and two more white males outside. They were demolishing a post box of a resident. The post box was fixed on top of a 1.2m-high, 50mm diameter steel
post with a concrete base. When confronted, the driver of the vehicle replied that they have come to see the Christmas garden lights. All vandals appeared to be sober.
Afterwards, they also demolished
a similar post box of the next-door neighbour, who had a fierce dog. The vandals also went down Clark street in a northerly direction, where they deliberately
smashed some Christmas garden lights. The resident who owns the first post box, was awake at the time, and heard and actually saw the damage being
done to the post box, since it was right under a street light in full visibility. No action was taken by the resident, although the alarm and armed response was only a
panic button away. The owner of the second post box has a fierce dog and an alarm system linked to an armed response unit with panic buttons, but
the vandalism remained unnoticed there until the daylight hours. His post box also stood right under a street lamp post,
fully visible at the time. The same group of vandals was seen on previous days, prowling the streets in a Mercedes, together with a fifth person, who is a
woman.
- Keep a lookout for unfamiliar cars roaming the streets at odd hours. Take the registration number and description down, and report it to the
police, others may have suffered a crime incident by the same perpetrators at or near the same time and reported it to the police, and the
registration number and description may then be helpful in solving the matter.
- Do NOT hesitate to make alarm and do NOT hesitate to alert others at ANY TIME, on seeing ANYTHING suspicious, especially at odd hours. Use panic buttons and phone your
neighbours, response units, the police, even on mere
suspicion. It is better to have a
possible false alarm than to have no alarm at all.
- Be prepared (firearm, cell phone, never alone). There is strength in numbers, and witnesses to an incident are always welcome.
- Fierce dogs may not be fierce enough. Have many, and train them well.
- Insure your Christmas garden lights if you have made a big investment in them, and do not become disenchanted. They are a joy to others.
January 2001, Brink Street
A 4X4 was parked in a short driveway in front of a house in Brink Street on a weekday afternoon. It was an open driveway with no gate. The driver of the vehicle emerged
from the house, a woman. When she
approached the vehicle, two persons ran up to her, demanding the keys, one brandishing a firearm. She handed over the keys, and the hijackers drove
off with the vehicle. The vehicle was fitted with a sophisticated but defunct satellite anti-hijack tracking system. The system hadn't been tested
for over two years. Whether the vehicle was later recovered remains unknown. The woman had to receive trauma therapy. It was later established that children in the vicinity spotted the loitering hijackers beforehand, and
also saw the firearm. They immediately told an adult, but no preventative action was taken.
- Do not ignore warnings from children, or from anybody else for that matter, and immediately follow up
- Confront loiterers
- Be prepared (firearm, cell phone, never alone)
- Maintain your vehicle's anti-hijack systems and test them frequently
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