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The new year kicked off on a bad note for a local surfer after his car was reportly broken into last Wednesday at Bloubergstrand beach.
This after a number of complaints were lodged in the past few months of vehicles being broken into at this spot, marking the parking bay as a crime hot spot.
Motorists in the area took to social media and raised their concerns over the safety of their vehicles at the Bloubergstrand beach front when taking a walk on the beach or popping into a nearby restaurant.
According to Table View police spokesperson Capt Adriana Chandler no cases were reported. However, there has been a high increase of visibility by the police, community policing forum (CPF), neighbourhood watches, law enforcement, Community in Blue (CIB), traffic and metro police in the area.
However, a suspect was caught in the act breaking into a surfer’s vehicle shortly after 15:00 on Wednesday.
Caught in the act
Metro police officers chased and apprehended a 27-year-old suspect, hailing from Langa, with the stolen property – a wallet and a cellphone.
Chandler says the complainant, a surfer, reported that he was approached by two women who asked him to take a photograph; he obliged and then went to surf.
“Keeping an eye out, he noticed the same two women talking to a man beside his vehicle. He then noticed the man smashing the window and getting into his car. The surfer then rushed to shore,” Chandler says.
A metro police vehicle was flagged down, and the suspect ran, but could not evade capture. Table View police, also busy with patrols along the beach, noticed the incident and stopped to investigate. The metro police officers took the suspect to the Table View Police Station where he will be detained until his court appearance. The two women could not be found for questioning.
Station commander Col Junaid Alcock is urging the community to be vigilant, and to remove valuable items from their vehicles, or place them in the boot when you depart from home.
He has expressed his appreciation towards the metro police officers for their swift action in the apprehending of this suspect, who could possibly be linked to other reported cases of theft.
Avoid vehicle break ins
- Put things away before you park. Make sure your valuables are out of sight before you arrive at your destination so no one waiting in the parking lot can see what you’re hiding.
- Don’t leave anything on display. This even includes rubbish. A potential thief walking past may not take the time to assess what is on display and just take a chance.
- Park where other cars are. There’s safety in numbers, so rather go for areas where several other cars are also parked.
- Park in well-lit areas. Thieves can get away with a lot under the cover of darkness. Don’t give them that safety net and find a parking space under a street lamp.
- Get smash-and-grab safety film on your windows. Safety film makes it considerably more difficult to break into a car quickly. The thief will have to hit the window several times in order to get into your car, which takes time and makes a noise.
