DURBAN - The Bluff Community Policing Forum (CPF) has warned the community about insider information leading to residential robberies.
On Facebook, the Bluff CPF/COP Emergency Page states that eight out of 10 residential robberies are committed with the help of information from maids, gardeners and former employees.
It says robbers will monitor a home for as long as two weeks.
“Most attacks occur between 7pm and midnight as people are relaxed, sleeping, cooking or watching TV.”
“Security systems and beams are not activated. Robberies can continue until 4am,” the CPF said.
The CPF also said the conviction rate for house robberies in South Africa was only 7.67%.
“Take extreme care when hiring domestic workers, please ensure you have copies of their identification and photographs of your employees. Other service providers cannot be underestimated,” the CPF said.
It added that homeowners should be careful about who they let into their homes and urged them to report all crime. The CPF also encouraged the community to stay vigilant at all times.
Commenting on the Facebook post, Amy Willemse said she was followed from the bank on the Bluff and robbed two days later.
When police Minister Bheki Cele released the second quarter crime statistics, he revealed that residential robberies recorded a decrease of 6.7%.
Cele said there were 388 less residential robberies in the month of July to September 2021, compared to the corresponding period in the previous financial year.
He added that the Mpumalanga and Free State provinces were the only provinces to record increases in residential robberies.
Daily News