BLUE ALERT # 138 FOR ALL AREAS FOR THE WEEK PRECEDING MARCH 15 2011

A long weekend beckons and we get to spend a day at home, at the beach, at the shops, with the kids or doing whatever we fancy - and we’ll be paid for having fun! Now that’s something awesome. That’s the good news. The bad news is that we’ve had some shocking incidents this week, and it seems that criminals are becoming increasingly brazen in their efforts to rob residents of their valuables. A resident in the Highway area was overpowered by two knife-wielding thugs when she opened her door in what appears to have been an ambush.  In a surprise attack like this, there is little you can do, except try to preserve your life by carefully obeying the criminals’ instructions. To avoid becoming a victim of this type of crime your property must not be viewed by criminals as a soft target. To achieve this you need to think in terms of security layers because the more security layers intruders have to force their way through to get up close or in to your home, the less likely they are to try.
 
Let’s take a more detailed look at what’s been going on this week.

Kloof. Murder - Residential (13 March 2011, 14:12:50)
A resident was found murdered on the premises. A silver Hyundai 120i was reported missing.

Pinetown. Murder - Business (13 March 2011, 1:31:42)
A petrol attendant was shot in the head when a cashier denied two black males entry to the shop. 

Gillitts, Starling Place. Armed Robbery - Residential (9 March 2011, 5:08:29)
The resident opened the door and was overpowered by two black males who held her up at knife point. A vehicle, a flat screen TV, two cell phones, a video camera, keys and an unknown quantity of jewellery and cash were stolen.

Westmead, Monaco Place Unit 1. Armed Robbery - Business (11 March 2011, 9:41:57)
Two black males held up a staff member at gunpoint and robbed him of his white VW Golf.

Kloof, Marievale Drive. Armed Robbery - Business (14 March 2011, 20:52:17)
Four black males walked into the premises and held up staff at gun point. A cell phone, wallet, cigarettes and R 500 in cash were stolen.

Hatton Estate, Langwood East. Gatecrashing  - Residential (9 March 2011, 17:43:36)
Suspects forced open the driveway gate and stole a bicycle from the garage. The garage door had been left open.

This was a lucky escape with minimal losses!  Be vigilant about closing and locking doors as a security slip-up like this can so easily end in tragedy.  

Assagay, Kassier Road. Gatecrashing - Residential (11 March 2011, 18:00:25)
The driveway gate and back door were forced open. Two Hi-Fi speakers, 3 DVD players, a Phillips docking station, an LG microwave oven and fridge bar were stolen. The kitchen cupboards were ransacked.

Morningside, Percy Osborne Road. Gatecrashing - Business (12 March 2011, 18:26:00)
The driveway gate and the back sliding door were forced open. The offices were ransacked and an unknown quantity of petty cash was stolen.

Queensburgh, Palmerston Road. Housebreaking - Residential (9 March 2011, 15:14:13)
The domestic worker reported that three Indian males arrived on the premises posing as TV technicians.  The suspects disconnected a 32" flat screen Samsung TV, loaded it in the back of a Ford Bantam bakkie and drove off.

Mmmm …. Domestic workers must  be instructed not to let anyone onto your property without your say so.

Durban North, Spathodia Place. Housebreaking - Residential (9 March 2011, 16:50:43)
The security gate and front door were forced open.  Three TVs, three computers and an unknown quantity of jewellery were stolen.

Crestview, Ridge Road. Housebreaking - Residential (9 March 2011, 17:05:35)
The door of a garden shed was forced open and two bolt cutters and oxygen cylinders were stolen. 

Manor Gardens, Eland Road. Housebreaking - Residential (10 March 2011, 10:58:28)
Suspects pushed in the burglar guard of an open front window. A 40" Samsung TV was stolen.

Montclair, Aren Crescent. Housebreaking - Residential (10 March 2011, 13:18:51)
Suspects pushed in the burglar guard of an open bedroom window. Jewellery and about R8 000 in cash were stolen.

Winston Park, Retief Road. Housebreaking - Residential (12 March 2011, 2:53:07)
Suspects forced open the door of a tool shed and a brush machine and two bicycles were stolen.

Berea, Currie Road. Housebreaking - Residential (13 March 2011, 22:37:23)
Suspects forced open the front door. A laptop, hard drive and a sleeping bag were stolen.

Glenwood, Evans Road. Housebreaking - Residential (14 March 2011, 16:42:48)
Suspects entered a cottage on the property through an unsecured kitchen window.  The cottage was ransacked and a laptop and R 400 in cash were stolen. The cottage was not protected by an alarm.

Gillitts, Longwood Road Unit 1. Housebreaking - Residential (14 March 2011, 20:59:54)
A back window was forced open and the burglar guard pushed in. A laptop was stolen.

Gillitts, Russel Ridge. Housebreaking - Residential (15 March 2011, 3:03:16)
Suspects forced open a dining room window. A laptop, cell phone and briefcase were stolen.

Glenashley, Aubrey Drive. Housebreaking - Business (9 March 2011, 16:15:31)
Two suspects stole a bottle of Champagne valued at R3 300. The suspects were captured on CCTV footage arriving and leaving the premises.

Chatsworth, Cashew Avenue. Housebreaking - Business (9 March 2011, 18:42:49)
Suspects cut the lock on a storeroom gate. The wooden door was removed from its hinges and stolen.

New Germany, Frans Volek Road. Housebreaking - Business (11 March 2011, 8:46:37)
A copper radiator was stolen.

Umbilo, Bartle Road. Housebreaking - Business (11 March 2011, 8:04:38)
Suspects broke a kitchen window and a window leading to the passage.  A mountain bike and plastic chairs were stolen.

Hillcrest, Fischer Road. Housebreaking - Business (12 March 2011, 8:15:15)
A front window was broken and a computer was stolen.

Hillary, Stella Road. Housebreaking - Business (12 March 2011, 5:13:07)
Suspects entered the shop through the roof and stole cigarettes.

Pinetown, Hill Street. Housebreaking - Business (13 March 2011, 14:47:14)
Suspects entered the premises through the roof. A safe was forced open and an undisclosed amount of cash was stolen.

Westriding, Leslie Road. Housebreaking - Business (14 March 2011, 14:35:01)
Suspects jumped over the wire mesh perimeter fence at the back of the property. A bathroom window was forced open and the burglar guard pushed in. A laptop was stolen.

Amanzimtoti, Ann Place. Theft - Residential (12 March 2011, 1:28:47)
A handbag containing a cell phone and credit cards was fished out through a kitchen window.

Summerveld, D Stables Sugar Hill. Theft - Residential (13 March 2011, 1:34:49)
A battery from the driveway gate motor was stolen.

Waterfall, Victorial Avenue. Theft - Residential (11 March 2011, 11:01:34)
Copper pipes were stolen from a Wendy house in the garden.

Crestholme, Rainbow Drive. Theft - Residential (14 March 2011, 12:12:51)
The resident was woken up by his dog barking and noticed an intruder on his property. The suspect broke off copper water pipes from a wall and fled on foot when he realised he had been noticed.

New Germany, Lanner Road. Theft - Business (12 March 2011, 5:57:22)
Copper piping was stolen from the premises.

Morningside Claribel Road. Theft - Business (14 March 2011, 5:10:22)
Copper pipes were stolen from an air conditioning unit.

Overport, Hill Street.  Theft Out of a Motor Vehicle - Residential (9 March 2011, 4:56:16)
Suspects broke a window of a white VW Jetta and stole a wallet containing credit cards and an unknown amount of cash.

Assagay, Chartwell Drive. Theft out of a Motor Vehicle - Residential (14 March 2011, 0:20:47)
Suspects broke into a silver-grey Ford Fiesta parked in the yard and stole a stereo and a handbag.
 

Durban North, Chelsea Drive. Attempted Theft of a Motor Vehicle - Residential (12 March 2011, 6:24:25)
Suspects broke into a red Toyota Corolla and damaged the ignition. The suspects fled in a gold BMW.

Umgeni Park, Browns Drift Road. Attempted Theft - Business (9 March 2011, 22:07:40)
A black male entered the premises and attempted to steal a cell phone from an employee.

SUCCESSES
Summerveld, Paddock Road. Theft - Residential (9 March 2011, 23:31:06)
Two black males in possession of a bicycle which was reported stolen were apprehended by a Reaction Officer. The suspects were armed with two large knives.

Summerveld, Paddock Road. Attempted Theft of a Motor Vehicle - Residential (10 March 2011, 1:30:15)
Suspects attempting to break into a white Isuzu bakkie parked inside the resident's open garage fled when a Reaction Officer fired two warning shots at the ground.

Alright, not quite High Noon At The O.K. Corral but we’re sure these bandits got the fright of their lives – enough of a fright we hope to stop them from hurrying back anytime soon and trying to steal from properties in the area.   

Glenwood, Savage Street. Attempted Theft of a Motor Vehicle - Residential (10 March 2011, 4:09:30)
Suspects attempted to steal a white VW Caddy parked inside a carport but fled when the car alarm activated.

Durban, Aliwal Street. Housebreaking - Business (12 March 2011, 2:41:59)
Suspects broke the roller shutter door and a computer was stolen. A suspect was apprehended and the computer recovered from outside the premises.

Berea, Davenport Road. Housebreaking - Business (13 March 2011, 23:50:50)
A window at the bar area was forced open and the burglar guard kicked in. Two suspects who were inside the premises were apprehended by the Reaction Officer. Seventeen bottles of drink mixers and R150 in cash were recovered. A third suspect fled with R500 in cash.

Glenashley, Glenore Centre. Theft - Business (14 March 2011, 10:00:10)
A suspect was apprehended outside a bottle store for stealing a bottle of wine and a 2 litre Coke.

Excellent work! One less liquor thief in the Glenashley area.

Overport, Davenport Road. Attempted Theft - Business (13 March 2011, 8:05:01)
Two black males jumped over the fence and attempted to steal a stainless steel braai stand from the yard. The suspects dropped the braai stand and fled when they saw the business owner.

Attempted housebreaking where nothing was confirmed stolen:
Assagay, Fraser Road (11 March 2011, 7:14:20)
Berea, Berea Road (10 March 2011, 14:08:30)
Botha's Hill, Rob Roy Crescent (10 March 2011, 10:04:13)
Gillitts, Bartle Road (11 March 2011, 4:15:19)
Glenmore, River Drive (10 March 2011, 4:15:35)
Mobeni, Leceister Road (14 March 2011, 7:21:48)
New Germany, Wehaus Road (11 March 2011, 9:45:50)
Padfield Park, Pinetown (9 March 2011, 15:23:45)
Reservoir Hills, Hatfield Road (11 March 2011, 3:00:20)

That’s it from us for now. Stay alert and stay safe.