BLUE ALERT # 147 FOR ALL AREAS FOR THE WEEK PRECEDING 24 MAY 2011

The firing of the gun outside City Hall this Sunday morning at 5.30am will signal the start of the 86th Comrades Marathon which is also run over 86 kilometres. It’s an uphill battle this year among true blue athletes, including for the first time an elite team of Ethiopian runners who will pose a serious challenge to defending Zimbabwean champion Stephen Muzhingi.  It’s a race that promises to keep us guessing who will be the winner right up to the finish line. We wish each and every one of you taking part in this year’s race the very best of luck.

An uphill battle and a challenge we all face on a daily basis is our fight against crime.  And, it’s amazing that although each and every one of us has been a victim of crime we soon forget or simply believe that crime is something that happens to other people.  Well, folks, crime is all around us and the odds are just as good that you will be affected as the next person.   There is no magic formula to insulate any of us from crime but we can take a few simple steps to ensure that our property and possessions do not attract criminals. Things like … always arming your alarm when you leave your property, closing and securing doors and windows (and not leaving keys in doors), and packing garden tools and furniture away, all go a long way to making you less vulnerable to the crime.

Let’s take a closer look at what’s been happening this week.

New Germany, Blair Athol Road. Hijacking – Residential (17 May 2011, 7:31:23)
Three black males armed with firearms confronted the resident as he arrived home and was opening his driveway gate. The suspects fled in the resident’s  white Opel Corsa bakkie, registration ND 245230.

Glenmore, Grundel Road.  Housebreaking – Residential (16 May 2011, 13:16:05)
Suspects forced open the front door and security gate. A computer and plasma screen TV were stolen.
 
Assagay, Quarry Road. Housebreaking –  Residential (17 May 2011, 7:32:45)
Suspects opened a back door and entered the house. A camera, hair dryer, Hi-Fi and two speakers were stolen. 

Kloof, Elizabeth Avenue. Housebreaking – Residential  (18 May 2011, 2:24:44)
Suspects entered the house through the front door using a key that had been left in the door. The resident reports that the suspects were leaving the premises when she arrived home. The suspects tied up the resident and stole her cell phone and a DVD player.   

It’s a reality – criminals are watching you and waiting for an opportunity. It’s their job and they do it  24/7. A slip-up like leaving keys in your front door can end in tragedy. Fortunately, this resident got off relatively lightly, although no doubt very shaken by her encounter with these thugs.

Durban North, Rosehill Avenue. Housebreaking – Residential (18 May 10:32:57) 
A suspect opened the garage window and pushed in the burglar guard. A drill and sander were stolen. 

Hillcrest, Spring Close. Housebreaking – Residential (18 May 2011, 13:34:35) 
Suspects entered the house through a dining room window. A PlayStation, clothes, a laptop bag and copper water pipes were stolen from the premises. 

Kloof, Eastview Road.  Housebreaking – Residential (19 May 2011, 10:38:45)
Suspects forced open the front door and entered the house. A TV and a  safe containing cash were stolen. CCTV footage showed three suspects arriving at the residence in an old whilte Mercedes Benz.  

Waterfall,  Mpushini  Avenue.  Housebreaking – Residential (19 May,  11:01:50) 
Suspects forced open a window at the back of the house and pushed in the burglar guard. A camera and jewellery were stolen. 

Umhlanga, Braemar Avenue.  Housebreaking – Residential (19 May 2011, 14:36:47)
Suspects cut a hole in the concrete fence and forced open a sliding door. The main bedroom was ransacked and jewellery to the value of R10 000 was stolen.

Umbilo,  Buxton Gardens. Housebreaking – Residential (19 May, 17:43:10) 
Suspects forced open a window and pulled out the burglar guard. A computer monitor stolen. 

Springfield, Quarry Road East. Housebreaking – Residential (20 May 2011,  8:56:46)
Suspects removed a sliding door from its track and entered the house. A laptop and two cell phones were stolen. 

Hillcrest, Montrose Avenue.  Housebreaking – Residential (20 May 2011, 11:19:07)
Suspects removed a slab from the concrete wall and entered the yard. A window was forced open and a Hi-Fi and a bag of clothing were stolen. The bag was recovered on Gillitts Road.
 
Kloof, Old Main Road.  Housebreaking – Residential (20 May 2011, 19:32:32)
Suspects entered the garage through a window. Shoes, food and copper water pipes were stolen. 

Waterfall, Baildon Drive. Housebreaking – Residential (22 May 2011, 12:42:34)
Suspects forced open an unsecured back door and entered the house. A camera, microwave and a plasma screen TV were stolen. 

Gillitts, Bartle Road. Housebreaking – Residential (22 May 2011,  2:30:08)
Suspects forced open a window and squeezed through the burglar guard. A laptop was stolen. 

The invisible man strikes again.

Rose Glen, Waller Crescent. Housebreaking – Residential (23 may 2011, 6:57:33)
Suspects broke into the outbuilding and stole a TV and garden tools.

Garages and outbuildings should be kept closed and locked at all times…and windows should be closed and secured with burglar guards. There are plenty of items in a garage or garden shed that can be used by criminals for housebreakings and as deadly weapons.  

Winston Park,  Montgomery Drive.  Housebreaking – Residential (23 May 2011, 18:19:07)
Suspects broke an unprotected window and entered the house. A DVD player and speakers were stolen. 
 
It’s not in a criminal’s nature to ignore unprotected windows – they’re just far too enticing.  The message is simple – limit a criminal’s opportunity to break into your home by securing all windows on your property.

Assagay, Bowles Road. Housebreaking – Residential (24 May 2011, 2:54:00) 
Suspects cut the electric fence and broke into a cottage on the property.   A DVD player, laptop and car stereo were stolen. 

Morningside, Florida Road. Housebreaking – Business (17 May 2011, 8:33:38)
A suspect entered the premises through a window at the back of the property. A laptop was stolen. 

New Germany, Nipper Road. Housebreaking – Business (17 May 2011, 12:28:57)
Suspects used a step ladder to climb up and force open a toilet window and burglar guard on the upper level. Forty boxes of glassware, 40 boxes of vases  and vinyl mats were stolen. 

Lock ladders and step ladder in the garage or chain them to a wall. A ladder can be used to gain access through the roof tiles of your house or through an upper level window or door.

New Germany,  Nipper Road. Housebreaking – Business (19 May, 8:59:14)
Suspects cut the lock on the rollershutter door and entered the premises. Glassware, clocks, mats and table napkins valued at R750 000 were stolen. 

Amanzimtoti, Kingsway Road. Housebreaking – Business (20 May 2011, 5:13:37)
Suspects forced open a back door and entered the premises. Two computers were stolen.

New Germany, Gray Place. Housebreaking – Business (23 May 2011, 7:27:57)
Suspects forced open the front door and entered the premises. Office equipment was stolen.

All exterior doors should be solid wood and protected with robust security gates. Steel grille security gates fitted in their own frames and with heavy duty hinges welded to the door frame are an excellent option. 

Morningside, 1st Avenue. Housebreaking – Business (24 May 2011,  1:56:39) 
Suspects broke a showroom window and entered the premises. Computer towers were stolen. 

Manors, Cobbleset Road. Mugging -Residential (16 May  2011, 14:02:48)
The resident’s daughter was assaulted by a black male while she was walking home and robbed her of her cell phone.

Glenwood, Bowen Avenue. Mugging - Residential (17 May 2011, 10:46:07)
A female university student walking on the road was robbed of her cell phone and handbag by a black male.

Glenmore,  Kinmont Crescent. Theft – Residential (16 May 2011, 14:28:10)
Suspects cut the wire mesh fence and entered the yard. An umbrella was stolen. 

Queensburgh, Main Road. Theft – Residential (22 May 2011, 16:12:01)
A suspect jumped over the wall and stole clothes from the washing line. 

Morningside, Wallace Road. Theft – Business (18 May 2011, 9:23:11)
Clothing and a computer were stolen from a store room. 

Glenwood, Francois Road.  Theft – Business (20 May 2011, 7:19:07)
Copper piping was stolen from the premises. 

Morningside, Twelfth Avenue.  Theft – Business (20 May 2011, 11:54:03)
A remote with the same frequency as the resident’s remote was used by the suspects to open the driveway gate and a scanner was used to open the garage door. A mountain bike was stolen. 

Escombe, Ladd Road. Attempted Theft of a Motor Vehicle - Residential (19 May 2011, 9:17:20) 
Suspects broke into a Honda Ballade parked in the resident’s yard. The driver door and ignition were damaged.

Northdene, Montgomery Crescent. Attempted Theft of a Motor Vehicle – Residential (24 May 2011, 3:42:49)  
Suspects towed a white microbus out of the yard. The tow cable snapped and the suspects abandoned the vehicle. 

Stupid is as stupid does.

SUCCESSES
New Germany, Chelsea  Road. Armed Robbery – Business (23 May 2011, 20:37:44)
Three black males armed with firearms walked into the premises and held up the cashier. The suspects fled with cash and the customers gave chase in a vehicle. A suspect was apprehended outside the premises and two fake firearms and three cell phones were recovered. Two more suspects were  apprehended and taken into custody. One suspect escaped.

These dim-witted desperados didn’t count on the fact that there are people who know the difference between real and fake firearms.

Rosehill,  Church Road. Housebreaking – Residential (20 May 2011, 14:54:03)
Washing stolen from the line was recovered from the neighbour’s yard. 

Sarnia, Underwood Road. Theft – Business (20 May 2011, 17:58:3) 
A youth was apprehended for stealing three cans of cool drink. 

Glenwood, Frere Road. Housebreaking – Business (22 May 2011, 1:13:24) 
A computer screen stolen from the premises was recovered from the neighbouring residence. 

Attempted housebreaking where nothing was confirmed stolen:
Assagay, Fraser Road (20 May 2011, 3:16:34)
Botha’s Hill, Agar Place (16 May 2011, 11:37:00)
Durban Central, St Georges Street (22 May 2011, 4:30:03)
Durban North, Margaret Mayton Avenue (20 May 2011, 19:53:59)
Forest Hills, Elizabeth Drive  (17 May 2011, 0:40:38)
Gillitts, Stockville Road (20 May 2011, 11:01:51)
Glenmore,  Myro Drive(22 May 2011, 13:17:00)
Glenwood, Frere Road (22 May 2011, 2:00:27
Glenwood,  Glenwood Drive  (20 May 2011, 4:42:57)
Glenwood, Grosvenor Road (16 May 2011, 8:22:05)
Hillcrest Springside Road (18 May 2011, 9:26:38)
Mayville, Jan Smuts Avenue (18 May 2011, 1:01:00)
Morningside,  Florida Road (19 May 2011, 4:20:47)
Morningside, Keswick Road (18 May 2011, 13:16:04)
Morningside, Percy Osborne Road (18 May 2011, 1:13:34) 
Morningside, Musgrave Road (22 May 2011, 11:25:25) 
Musgrave,  Frere Crescent   (16 May 2011, 13:46:39)
New Germany, Bosse Street (23 May 2011, 14:30:43)
New Germany, Glockner Road (16 May 2001, 10:48:59)
New Germany, Park Drive (19 May 2011, 16:08:02)
Northdene, Main Road. (21 May 2011, 0:24:29)
Springfield Park, Quarry Road (19 May 2011, 14:54:05)
Stamfordhill, Stamfordhill Road (17 May 2011, 3:10:18) 
Umbilo, Hannah Road (23 May 2011, 6:14:30)
Waterfall, Mpushini Road (19 May 2011, 20:10:13)
Westville,  Ellenora Road  (16 May 2011, 8:07:49) 
Yellowwood Park, Wren Way (20 May 2011, 2:16:38)
 
That’s it from us for now.

Stay alert and stay safe.