BLUE ALERT # 171 FOR ALL AREAS FOR THE WEEK PRECEDING 10 NOVEMBER 2011

Hatton Estate, Collingwood Road. Armed  Robbery - Residential (02 November 2011, 11:08:55)
Suspects forced open a bedroom window and pushed in the burglar guard. The domestic worker who was ironing heard the noise and went to investigate. She was confronted by two suspects armed with firearms. The suspects ransacked the house and three flat screen TVs, three cell phones and a kettle were stolen. The suspects fled in a red Toyota Yaris.

Again the kettle, what’s with the kettle?

Glenwood, Newlyn Road. Armed Robbery  - Residential (04 November 2011, 19:00:44) 
Three suspects entered the premises through an open door. One suspect was armed with a firearm and the two other suspects were armed with knives. The suspects held up the resident and stole a bag, a cell phone and a wallet containing cash and credit cards. The suspects fled in an unknown direction.  

Surprise attacks on residents, as we have said before, are becoming more frequent. The criminal element is always watching and your habits are being observed. If you open up for a pet first thing in the morning or last thing at night,  be sure that someone has noted this habit and is biding their time waiting for the ideal moment to attack. By all means let Rufus out but ensure security gates are locked while Rufus does his business.

Berea, Moore Road. Robbery - Residential  (07 November 2011, 9:43:27)   
The resident was talking on her cell phone in the garden. A suspect jumped over the fence and snatched the phone away from her and fled.

Opportunist A
 
Manor Gardens, Claire Avenue. Robbery - Residential (07 November 2011, 10:17:19)   
The resident stopped her vehicle in the driveway to move municipal rubbish bags that were blocking the vehicle's path. As the resident got out of the vehicle she was confronted by a suspect who grabbed the car keys out of the ignition. The suspect punched the resident in the chest and stole her handbag.    The suspect threw the car key away while he was fleeing.  

Opportunist B
Opportunist A and Opportunist B spend their days walking our neighbourhood streets looking for quick pickings. Opportunist A takes his chance when he sees a woman talking on her phone in her OWN GARDEN and decides that this is his chance to steal – and gets away with it.  Opportunist B sees a woman on her own (vulnerable). It doesn’t even look like he even knew what he wanted when he attacked the woman and chickened out of stealing the car midway. He decides to punch the resident in the chest instead and get away with her handbag. Both crimes are cowardly acts but scum like this are walking our streets all day, every day. Opportunity makes the thief, and wherever there is a street or a bush a criminal is watching you.

Always be alert to who is in your environment and for safety’s sake load ICE – which stands for In Case of Emergency – on to your cell phone. This will turn your cell phone into an instant panic alarm and means that at a touch of a cell phone button you can send a discreet emergency panic alarm which will be received by our control room and a Blue Security armed reaction officer will be sent to your default address. 

To find out more about ICE please contact Blue Security Pinetown at 031 717 5000 or Umhlanga at 031 582 6574.

Umbilo,  Prospect Road. Hijacking – Residential (08 November 2011, 8:39:44)   
Three armed suspects confronted the resident outside the premises. The suspects fled in the resident’s sliver Honda, registration number ND 9313.

And, now for opportunists C, D & E who have been in the crime game for a while longer than opportunists A and B. Hijackings are deliberate crimes and these criminals had probably been scouting the residence for some time before seizing their chance to hijack the victim. Armed criminals know that most of us are likely to relinquish our hard-earned possession with a gun pointing at us.

With driveway hijackings on the increase the best advice that we can give you is to vary your times of departure and arrival at your residence, to be on alert when you approach or leave your property and not to enter or leave your property if you notice suspicious vehicles or people in your immediate vicinity. Over and above this, keep your cell phone handy and load ICE onto your cell phone which will turn your cell phone into a discreet panic alarm – the full details of which we have explained earlier in this Alert.

Glen Anil, Welwitchia Avenue. Gatecrashing - Residential  (02 November 2011, 9:06:00)   
Suspects derailed the driveway gate and forced open the security gate and front door. The suspects ransacked the main bedroom and a plasma screen TV was stolen.

La Lucia, Millhven. Gatecrashing  - Residential (03 November 2011,18:37:59)    
The driveway gate was derailed and the front door forced open. A TV and a laptop were stolen.

Waterfall, The Walk.  Gatecrashing - Residential (02 November 2011, 13:24:18) 
Suspects derailed the driveway gate and entered the property. The burglar guard on a bedroom window was forced open and jewellery was stolen.

Kloof , Ronalds Road. Gatecrashing - Residential (08 November 2011, 10:06:56)  
Suspects forced the driveway gate open and forced open the security gate and front door. The suspects were driving a silver grey VW Polo hatch back. Two flat screen TVs, two laptops, a printer and jewellery were stolen.

New Germany, Shepstone Road. Gatecrashing - Business (04 November 2011, 4:43:00)  
Suspects derailed the driveway gate and forced open the security gate and front door. Two computers and a TV were stolen.  

If you consider that it takes an experienced intruder just a few minutes to derail a driveway gate, force open a security gate and a front door and escape in a vehicle with YOUR expensive electronic equipment and any of your other possessions that are light and portable (such as cameras and jewellery), barrier security is a small price to pay for the protection of these expensive goods. Early detection, such as strip beams, magnetic locks on gates, and electric fencing act to deter and limit the intruders opportunity to get into your home.

Crestholme, Rainbow Drive.  Housebreaking - Residential (02 November 2011, 12:35:13) 
Suspects cut the wire mesh fence and entered the property. A concrete umbrella stand was used to smash a glass sliding door and the suspects entered the house. Two TVs, an iPod, two cameras and a duvet were stolen.

Glenashley, Laughton Road.  Housebreaking - Residential  (02 November 2011, 13:20:03) 
Suspects used a key to unlock a door to the house. The key was found on a counter in a cottage on the premises. A laptop and jewellery were stolen. 

We don’t need to spell out the reason why it’s not smart to leave keys to your house lying around or in wide circulation, or to hide them in flower pots or under door mats. Only give the keys to your castle to trusted family members.

Glenwood, St Johns Avenue. Housebreaking - Residential (03 November 2011, 6:18:03) 
Suspects forced open the back door and entered the premises. A laptop was stolen.

Any access to the back of your home or business should be fully secured with solid core or metal doors and strong locks, and security gates. The outside of your premises should be illuminated. Keep gates shut and locked, especially those allowing access to the rear of the property. A good policy is to fit two locks to a gate, top and bottom, and ensure that hinges are securely fixed to gate posts so that the gate cannot be lifted off its hinges.

Glenwood, Ferguson Road. Housebreaking - Residential  (03 November 2011, 6:55:35) 
Suspects entered an outbuilding through an unlocked door and stole copper pipes from the premises. 

Another unlocked door?? Not Ayoba! Metal has a significant albeit it declining market value at the scrap yard, so why would a criminal miss an opportunity to steal copper pipes from your premises if you allow them the OPPORTUNITY? In this day and age when police even urging residents to grease down their drain pipes to stop criminals from entering apartment and stealing possessions, we can only IMPLORE you to lock your doors – a basic security measure that could save you from the expense of outlaying for replacement copper water pipes.

Umbilo, Selbourne Road. Housebreaking - Residential (03 November 2011, 9:51:58)  
Suspects removed a glass pane from a bedroom window and entered the premises. Jewellery was stolen.

Ashley, Pine Street. Housebreaking - Residential (03 November 2011, 10:00:08) 
Suspects broke a bedroom window and entered the premises. Jewellery was stolen.

Glenwood, Haraldene Road. Housebreaking - Residential (03 November 2011, 11:36:32) 
Suspects forced open the front door and entered the premises. A flat screen TV was stolen. 

Pinetown, Richmond Road. Housebreaking - Residential (04 November 2011, 7:43:30)
Suspects removed panels from a door and entered the premises. A microwave oven and a kettle were stolen.

The microwave oven and kettle combo seem to be at the top of thieves’ most-wanted kitchen appliances list.
Glenwood, St Johns Avenue. Housebreaking - Residential  (04 November 2011, 9:15:38)   
Suspects forced open a security gate and door and entered the premises. A bicycle was stolen.

Durban North, Old Mill Way. Housebreaking - Residential (04 November 2011, 13:52:43)  
Suspects pushed in the burglar guards on an open window and entered a cottage on the premises. A camera lens and a cell phone were stolen.

Hillcrest, Forbes Drive. Housebreaking - Residential  (04 November 2011, 16:48:41)  
Suspects broke a lounge window and squeezed through the burglar guard. A laptop and jewellery were stolen.

The “impossible thief” seems to be unrestrained by the pesky laws of physics. These criminals manage to squeeze through impossibly small spaces and to steal our possessions without any signs of forced entry and without us even noticing that anything has been stolen.  In every incident, though, there is usually a perfectly logical explanation to the “impossible thief’s” modus operandi. Burglaries that occur when suspects manage to squeeze through tiny open spaces usually involve small children and those in which there appears to be no sign of forced entry usually involve the burglar having a key to your property or indicate that you have not locked doors or armed your alarm system. A timely reminder then to always lock windows and doors to arm your alarm system whenever you leave your residence or premises.

Durban North, Umhlanga Rocks Drive. Housebreaking - Residential (05 November 2011, 6:36:24)
Suspects removed a window frame and entered the premises. Two laptops, a cell phone, games, and a gym bag were stolen.  

Hillcrest, McMillan Road. Housebreaking - Residential (04 November 2011, 19:46:57)   
Suspects forced open a bedroom window and pushed in the burglar guard. A laptop and a knife were stolen.

Remember that at best DIY burglar guards screwed into window frames offer at most a false sense of security and are no match for a determined burglar who will with a forceful push easily remove this flimsy obstacle. A far better option is to replace the screw with an 8mm bolt right through the window frame.  For cosmetic (and increased security) purposes the head of the bolt should be counter sunk into the window frame and the nut should be rounded off with a file or angle grinder and coated in epoxy. It might take a lot longer to install burglar guards this way but by the same token it takes a lot more than a firm shove to break through them.

Hillcrest, Loop Road. Housebreaking - Residential (05 November 2011, 10:53:36)  
Suspects broke the glass on the front door and entered the premises. A TV and jewellery were stolen.

Chatsworth, Klaarwater Road. Housebreaking - Residential (05 November 2011, 11:42:28)  
Suspects forced open a door at the back of the property. The bedrooms were ransacked and costume jewellery, a DVD and an amplifier were stolen.

Pinetown, Wendover Road. Housebreaking - Residential  (05 November 2011, 18:01:51)  
Suspects broke a bedroom window and pulled out the burglar guard. A camera, laptop and clothing were stolen.

Glenmore, Queen Mary Avenue. Housebreaking - Residential (05 November 2011, 20:39:07)  
Suspects entered the property through an unlocked pedestrian gate. The suspects broke a door on the upper level and forced open an internal door. A laptop and an iPod were stolen.

Pinetown, Steer Road. Housebreaking - Residential  (07 November 2011, 6:54:23) 
Suspects opened a kitchen window and removed a key to a lounge door which the suspects used to unlock the door and enter the house. A flat screen TV, a DVD, an X-Box, CDs and DVDs were stolen.

Methinks this incident has the ring of Christmas gift shopping to it. CDs and DVDs are ideal stocking stuffers and, all good boys (and girls) may even find an X-Box waiting for them under the tree.  (The burglar has decided to keep the TV for himself.) But enough of this nonsense of playing Santa Clause to thieves! House burglars can be prevented from entering your property in the first instance if you have adequate security measures in place. For a free security assessment please contact our Pinetown office at 031 717 5000 or Umhlanga office at 031 582 6574 and we will arrange for one of our sales consultants to visit you at your premises at your convenience.

Bellair, Braeside Road. Housebreaking - Residential  (08 November 2011, 12:42:51)
Suspects forced open the bottom half of a kitchen stable door and entered the premises. A flat screen TV was stolen.  

Chatsworth, Road 710 Chatsworth. Housebreaking - Business (05 November 2011, 8:34:45) 
Suspect entered the premises through the roof and ransacked an office. Alcohol was stolen. 

Sherwood, Rippon Crescent. Mugging / Assault – Residential  (08 November 2011, 8:22:02)   
The resident and a former domestic worker had an altercation and the domestic worker produced a knife and cut the resident's arm. The suspect fled with R50 cash.

Umgeni Park, Ridgeside Road.  Theft of a Motor Vehicle - Residential  (02 November 2011, 20:36:55)
A white VW Citi Golf registration number ND 622215 was stolen from outside the property.

Morningside, Valley View Road. Theft - Residential (02 November 2011, 12:58:40)
Suspect entered an open garage and stole and empty suitcase and a car cover.

Glenwood, Clark Road. Theft - Residential (02 November 2011, 6:18:54)
Suspects cut copper pipes off the walls of the premises. 

Bayview, Lenny Naidoo Road.  Theft – Residential  (08 November 2011, 21:56:38)
Suspects climbed onto the top of an electrical sub-station situated close to the resident's fence. The suspects then jumped over the fence and onto a car port. A galvanized metal sheet was stolen. 

Morningside, Florida Road. Theft - Business (05 November 2011, 16:01:50)   
Copper water pipes and taps were stolen from the yard.   

Morningside, Umgeni Road.  Theft - Business (07 November 2011, 8:52:35) 
Copper cables were stolen from a container in the yard.

Copper, copper, copper. World prices show that copper prices have fallen – although, of course, our thieves are not this in touch with the latest pricing information, so expect copper theft to go on unabated.

Glenhills, Longwood Road. Theft out of a Motor Vehicle - Residential (03 November 2011, 2:40:39)
Suspects broke into a white VW Polo registration number ND: 465400 parked in the driveway. A CD player and speakers were stolen.

Morningside, Florida Road. Theft out of a Motor Vehicle (04 November 2011, 19:46:41) 
A resident parked his vehicle in a parking lot and returned to his vehicle to find that it had been unlocked. A laptop was stolen from the vehicle.

Durban North, Spathodia Place. Trespassing - Residential (02 November 2011, 12:12:29)  
A suspect cut the top of an electric fence and jumped into the property. The suspect jumped over the fence and out of the property when he realised that he had been seen by the domestic worker.  

Amanzimtoti, Tecoma Place. Trespassing - Residential (04 November 2011, 13:11:36)  
A suspect jumped over the perimeter wall and knocked on the bedroom window, before fleeing in an unknown direction.  

Anyone home? As odd as it may seem, this burglar was just checking on his chances of the risk of breaking into the property as opposed to his chances of getting away with it or caught. He decided that the risk outweighed the reward and fled. Many residents are not so “lucky” and are confronted by armed and determined criminals.  The level of protection afforded to a property should be proportional to the level of risk but should ideally comprise several different but complimentary layers of protection.

Farningham Ridge, Vivien Road. Trespassing - Residential (08 November 2011, 0:30:22)  
The dog was barking and resident went to investigate the reason for this and spotted two suspects in the yard. The suspects jumped over the palisade fence and fled towards the freeway. 

Morningside, Claribel Road. Vandalism – Residential (04 November 2011, 9:50:00) 
Suspects entered the premises over the perimeter wall. An air conditioning unit and copper water pipes were tampered with. 

Metal thieves are wreaking costly damage all over our city – damage for which we are paying. Fortunately, the Boys in Blue were on these premises in time to stop these metal thieves from actually cutting the copper pipes off the walls which would have resulted in significant costs to this resident. With metal theft being as rife as it is, please report any suspicious activity to the Telkom Hotline at 0800 124 000, the Eskom Hotline at 080 011 2722 or the eThekwini Traffic Hotline at 080 131 3031. 

SUCCESSES

Pinetown, Old Main Road. Theft - Residential (02 November 2011, 14:57:21)   
A suspect was apprehended for attempting to steal a battery from a car. 

New Germany, Harborth Road. Attempted theft - Business (03 November 2011, 21:20:41)  
A suspect attempted  to steal a tarpaulin from the roof but fled when he was noticed by the customer. The suspect was apprehended on Shepstone Road and taken into custody by the Pinetown SAPS.

Morningside, Florida Road (05 November 2011, 4:33:45) 
A suspect tampered with the door lock and broke into a vehicle parked on the street. The suspect was arrested by the Berea SAPS.  

Briadene, Everest Road.  Trespassing - Residential (05 November 2011, 09:59l:55)  
A suspect attempting to steal scrap metal from the yard was apprehended.

Excellent work on the part of our Boys in Blue. There is only one place that is fitting enough for this scum – off our streets and behind bars! And, believe us, apprehending this feisty lot is no easy task.

Chatsworth, Tranquil Street. Theft – Residential (08 November 2011, 10:42:52)
A suspect was apprehended on the premises for attempting to steal copper pipes from the yard.  

Attempted  housebreaking where nothing appears to have been stolen:
Bellair, Kenmare Road  (08 November 2011, 20:02:30)
Farningham Ridge, Bartlett Road (07 November 2011, 19:38:17) 
Gillitts, Leinster Place (02 November 2011, 10:47:30) 
Isipingo, Orient Drive (02 November 2011,  18:00:52) 
Jacobs, Collingwood Road (03 November 2011, 4:28:18) 
Malvern, Bedale Road (03 November 2011, 3:14:08) 
Mayville, Concord Avenue (05 November 2011, 22:27:22) 
Morningside, Henwood Road (03 November 2011, 15:32:34
Seaview, Red Hill Road  (08 November 2011, 2:35:08) 
Umbilo, Cunningham Road (03 November 2011, 13:33:19) 
Umhlanga, Somerton Way (04 November 2011, 2:23:22)
Westmead, Mahogany Road (03 November 2011, 22:41:46) 
Westville, Morewood Crescent (05 November 2011, 19:54:00) 
Woodhaven, Whimbrel Place (05 November 2011, 19:35:28)