Yappers keep robbers at bay
2008-07-13 20:05
Pretoria - The most-recent research about South Africa's crime shows that eight out of every 10 house robberies are committed with the help of information that robbers gather from domestic workers, gardeners and people who know the residents.
A senior, forensic investigation lecturer at Unisa, Dr Rudolph Zinn, found that of all security measures one could take, small dogs in the house were the biggest deterrent because they were very alert to unusual noises.
Rich people who drive luxury cars, wear expensive jewellery and have a noticeably high living standard are mostly targeted, as are houses that are architecturally remarkable or that have two storeys.
The robberies are methodically planned and are executed only once the house has been watched for days to determine the residents' routines.
Some robbers may even walk around on the property at night to determine where they can get in and to look through windows to see where valuable possessions are kept.
Zinn's research about house robberies will be presented this week to the head of the police's crime information analysis centre, Dr Chris de Kock.
The police want to compare the research with information collected from their dockets of house robberies.
The most-recent crime statistics show that 40 families are attacked in their homes by robbers every day across the country.
These robberies have increased by 13.5% in the past financial year to almost 15 000, half of which were committed in Gauteng.
In the past two years, Zinn did research about the profiles of house robbers and their methodology, motives and use of violence.
The information came mostly from interviews that he held with thirty convicted house robbers from six Gauteng prisons.
'Make my hair stand on end'
Zinn said these criminals were the most hardened that he had ever seen.
"They make my hair stand on end. What I noticed was that they showed no mercy.
"They have absolutely no respect for the victim and the value of human life."
The robbers have no racial prejudices says Zinn.
"White or black, if you have money, you'll pay with it.
They are so avaricious, nothing will stop them."
The average house robber is an unemployed man between the ages of 19 and 26. He is a professional criminal who uses extreme violence to intimidate his victim and he will not hesitate to kill.
Houses watched for days
Victims are threatened, screamed at and sworn at. They enforce submissiveness by assault and anyone who resists is killed.
Victims are usually tortured to make sure they are not hiding anything valuable, and one out of every five women is raped.
Zinn said the violence used was usually much worse than the situation required, so as to overwhelm the victim. He found that robberies were seldom opportunistic.
Houses are watched for days and, in the case of farm attacks, the period of investigation can last up to two weeks before the robbers strike.
Zinn said that in 80% of cases the robbers obtained information beforehand from employees, former employees, friends or clients of the residents about a house with large amounts of cash and luxury goods.
House alarms and emergency reaction units do not scare robbers, who simply change their modus operandi and attack before residents have time to activate the alarm.
Small dogs best deterrents
The robbers may also wait at the gate for the residents to return home at night.
According to the report, most of the criminals said that small dogs, especially those that were kept inside, were the best deterrent.
House robberies are considered to be more rewarding than other ones.
Apart from expensive goods, an average of R5 000 in cash is stolen in each robbery. Most of this money is then spent on expensive clothes and shoes, on parties and women.