Theft of batteries from motorised gates is a new trend in KwaDukuza on the KZN north coast.
Several homes in suburbs of KwaDukuza have been targeted by the thieves, who casually walk up to the gate and in less than a minute, reach in, remove the covers on unsecured motors, take the battery and then walk away.
Some KwaDukuza residents even caught the thefts on CCTV footage.
Residents who are not at home or who are in their homes do not notice the thief, only find out that their gates have been tampered with and the batteries stolen when they attempt to open it.
According to KwaDukuza SAPS spokesperson Priya Nunkumar police have noted a spike in such theft.
“We have been seeing a recent spike in the amount of motor-gate batteries that are being stolen in the KwaDukuza area.
“We urge members of the community to report cases of theft to KwaDukuza SAPS, as well as report any suspicious person walking around in the community with a gate or alarm battery.”
She also urged residents to secure their gate motors to avoid becoming victims.
- Secure your gate motors with a padlock.
- Bolt your gate motor into the ground to prevent criminals from stealing it.
- Keep it locked to prevent battery theft and criminals from resetting the motor or switching the gate onto manual.
- Place a cage over the motor and secure it to the ground or have anti-theft bracket installed.
