On the 26 January at approximately 07:50 Fidelity ADT responded to a business robbery reported in Rynfield, Benoni
On arrival, Fidelity ADT Reaction Officer Manqoba and Kenneth discovered that a single male suspect went to the driveway, where he proceeded to force open the electric box and cut off some copper wire. This caused the power to trip. Two staff members went outside to investigate and saw the suspect. They alerted Fidelity ADT. Two Fidelity ADT vehicles responded and the suspects were apprehended and later handed over to Benoni SAPS.
Renee Coltham, Fidelity ADT Community Development Manager, says, “There is a growing trend where criminals cut the power in the street boxes before attempting a break in. The majority of the incidents we are seeing occur between 08:00 and 17:00 but we are also seeing incidents at other times too, often mimicking the load-shedding schedule. Once they have switched off the power, they wait to see if anyone comes out or if the alarm triggers. They also often repeatedly trigger electric fences or beams until residents get frustrated and either bypass or disable their alarm.
In this instance, the brazen thief was stealing copper wire in broad day light.
She offers the following safety tips:
- Never ignore a mains failure. Check it out carefully.
- Always check fence triggers and call your security provider if you are not sure.
- Rather not go outside and check yourself in case there are criminals around. It is safer to call your security provider
“Now that load shedding is back, opportunistic criminals are using this time to commit crimes. Residents must check their load shedding schedule and if they receive a mains fail outside of the Eskom load shedding schedule, they must never ignore it. If you have not downloaded the load shedding app it is definitely worth doing.”
