Police in the Free State, particularly Bloemfontein, are having concerned about house-breaking incidents which appear to be rearing an ugly head in recent weeks.
Both in Mangaung and Parkroad Clusters, burglars have targeted those houses creating an opportunity for them; taking valuable items such as electrical appliances, electronic gadgets, and clothes. Most incidents occur during the day when home-owners are at work, attending classes or at night (especially weekends) when they are out. Homes with sliding doors, town-houses, and student residents are mostly targeted.
Burglaries can be countered by exercising general precautionary measures such as:
– Sliding doors must be enhanced with burglar doors
– Use key stoppers to deny access to anyone who might be in possession of a duplicate key
– Avoid leaving your home unattended or with obvious signs of unavailability
– Ask a friend or neighbor to keep observation while you are away
– Try not to reveal information about your movements and items inside your home. Take special care of information revealed on social media
– Make efforts to know your neighbours
– Become part of safety and community policing structures in your area thereby building relations with the local police
– As far as possible, make arrangements to improve security of your home
– Keep doors, gates and windows closed
– Verify identification of people who claim to be representatives of government or private companies performing official work on your premises
– Keep valuables, including firearms, in a safe
– Share safety tips with members of your family and your domestic worker
The police have enjoyed numerous successes in the fight against house-breaking. During operations and raids, items suspected to be stolen are recovered by the police. Unfortunately, most of these items cannot be returned to lawful owners because of a lack of proper marking and identification.
They thus advise home-owners to:
– Keep proof of purchase of all valuable items
– Know serial numbers of all your goods
– Keep a record of identification marks on your items
Issued by : SAPS Provincial Corporate Communication
