Profile of crime

Save for the high increase in crime statistics, it is important to note that the profile of crime has changed dramatically in that it now includes much more violence.

The profile of crimes relating to house breaking and armed house robberies can be broken down into three phases as illustrated below:.

Scout (on foot or vehicle – markers )– attack (drop off vehicle, street guard and get- away car)  – flight(after car was called).
Tools: Vehicle, weapons, cell phones, bolt cutters, car jacks, blankets, pliers, crow bar.

What will follow are proposed tips in order to detect, prevent/deter.

Remember we are not police or trained security officers or soldiers.

All initiatives to detect and prevent crime must be executed with the dual aim of gathering evidence that can later assist in identifying the perpetrators. There is no reason to panic. Our safety will be secured by mere vigilance and outsmarting the criminals. This will not happen with a proverbial Wild West shout-out. All we must do is to look out and take care of each other. 

Home

• Develop an emergency plan which would include an area that will be your ‘safe place’
• Keep doors and gates locked
• Vigilance: Don’t ignore dogs barking.
• No resistance during a robbery.
• Look for ‘markers’ on and around your premises, for example bent spikes on your palisade fence or footprints in flower beds. Report such discoveries on WhatsApp group.
• If something happened, notify the various streets.
• Good idea for those with smart phones to download phone tracking app. In event of theft or robbery this might just be the tool to trace and apprehend the perpetrators.
• Clear outside perimeter of bushes or shrubs which might be used by perps to hide.
• Light up your premises.
• If contract workers come  to do some building for example – notify street
• Please do not allow unverified persons into your home. This includes contract workers, salesmen, purported employees of City Power or Telkom.
• Check for cars that follow you home.
• Please check your gate before you drive in our out.
• Supply your vehicle details to Erika 083 280 3155 We must know which vehicles are legit and which are suspicious.
• If you having a social gathering with lots of cars notify street.
• Away or on leave inform trusted resident or Group of such fact.
• Street (gathering evidence)

• Visibility – group street walks and or group social visibility, for example, a street braai. It’s proposed, especially as it is still summer that, at random times, residents group and go for street walk with torches in order to create visibility thus affecting the aim of detection and deterrence.
• Response to alerts: Notify street group / Security Company /SAPS to assist with the situation. Any response by residences must not be aimed at physical engagement and/or use of fire arms unless same is necessary and within the ambit of the valid defenses governed by law such as self-defense or necessity. This also applies when residents make themselves visible to suspected criminal scouts. (Remember the aim is to detect and deter coupled with the gathering of evidence.
• Volunteers for response group. This can only succeed if the street group WhatsApp is used to promptly report incidents and suspicious conduct.  If such group is established same will adopt a response strategy which will be communicated to all residences. In this regard it might be necessary to, upon logging a distress call to include route of access to property.
• Scouting vehicles: Regard all unknown vehicles passing through the same street more than once as a potential threat. Notify the street group.
• If you are outside and see people at dustbin or putting flyers in mailbox but in doing so seems to loiter, notify street. Be careful as perps also use black bags to cover them next to dustbin especially at night.
• When detecting suspicious people or vehicles take as much info as possible. It would be helpful if you can take photo and post it on street App..
• Lights for the Koppie and may be dummy cameras. Koppie to be cleared on grass on street level.

Street WhatsApp group

• Use the street app!! Trust your instinct, you will find that same is seldomly wrong! Don’t hesitate to post a report as the obvious is quite often the risk. All we ask is that the group is not used for social means. No report will ever be regarded as insignificant or less serious.

” Incidents that occurred in Amatola Ave and Teasal Street illustrate why we must secure our homes”…

Facebook link – Video 1

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