Daylight robbery in Walmer could be linked to crime syndicate

A brazen daylight break-in at a Walmer home has residents uneasy and worried about their safety as it shed light on a possible organised crime ring operating in various parts of Gqeberha.

Since the incident on Tuesday, information has emerged, indicating that the suspects might be armed and could be linked to a string of criminal activity, including business robberies.

But what is most concerning for a Walmer homeowner was the brazenness of the incident and the ease with which the suspects gained access to her house while her five-year-old son and domestic worker were at home.

On Monday morning, while no-one was home, the family received a phone call from a neighbour about a large volume of water gushing from their yard.

It turned out the culprits, believed to be youths, had jumped over the perimeter wall and stolen a length of copper water piping from their home.

This was followed by an incident in the early hours of Tuesday morning, when a tenant in a flat at the back of their home pressed a panic button when the perpetrators returned to steal more copper piping as well as a ladder.

“On Tuesday, our home was a hive of activity.

“We had contractors from our security company, people to work on our electric fence, garden services and plumbers coming and going.

“During all this activity, two perpetrators saw it as an opportunity to gain access to our house, rummage through our personal belongings, and make off with thousands of rand worth of electronics and other items,” the 36-year-old homeowner said.

“Thank goodness our son or nanny didn’t confront them, because we later found out they may have been armed and someone could have been seriously hurt.”

At about 3pm, a vehicle arrived at their neighbour’s house across the street and two men approached the gardener, telling him they were paint contractors that needed access to the house.

However, the gardener became suspicious and phoned the homeowner, Michael Zoet

mulder, to confirm.

“We never had any such arrangement and I told the gardener not to let them in,” Zoetmulder said.

“We later saw on our CCTV cameras the same car came back moments later and parked across the road and made their way into our neighbour’s yard.”

The perpetrators pushed open the gate to the Walmer residence and casually made their way in.

“They were confronted by one of the contractors, but told him they were the tenants at the flat in the backyard,” the homeowner said.

“Moments later, feeling something was amiss, the contractor knocked on the door and asked the nanny if she knew the tenants, but her description did not match the two men.

“The contractor immediately phoned my husband who had gone to pick our daughter up from sport practice at school.

“We then notified the police and our security company, but upon arrival at the house the perpetrators had already left,” she said.

While they are still tallying everything that went missing from their home, they found the perpetrators had gained access through a sliding door into the main bedroom and made their way through the house, going room to room.

They left with laptops, tablets and other valuable items.

“My son was playing video games in the lounge and the nanny was making him something to eat.

“Looking back now, it was a blessing in disguise that they didn’t know someone was inside the house and that they didn’t try to confront them.”

Police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg confirmed a case of theft was being investigated.

Shortly after the incident, CCTV footage of the vehicle was captured and screengrabs of the vehicle’s number plate was circulated by the police and private security firms.

A security operative, working closely with the police, said the number plates were flagged on licence plate recognition cameras, but the same plates were found on at least two different vehicles — a white VW Polo and a gold Suzuki Swift.

He said the same number plates were spotted at the MetLife Plaza in Kabega Park, when armed robbers entered a store and ordered employees to lie on the ground while they grabbed clothing and cellphones and fled.

“These are just some of the incidents that this registration number can be linked to and there is a good likelihood that these suspects that robbed the home in Walmer were armed at the time.

“While the incident at the house could have been a crime of opportunity, the use of multiple vehicles to commit armed robberies points to well-organised crime,” the security operative said.

The police could not immediately confirm a link between the two incidents, but said all avenues were being investigated.

The operative said a concerning trend was the use of minors to commit crimes.

“The suspicion is that children are being used to steal copper pipes, or to gain access to yards and scout for easy targets, because the consequences will be less severe for them.

“Law enforcement is either unable or unwilling to charge them with anything, so they are often released with little more than a warning.”

Zoetmulder, a long-time Walmer resident, said the community had seen an increase in crime, especially copper theft, in the area in recent months.

“Why can’t we impose something like a curfew?

“Then, after a certain time the police, private security and neighbourhood watches can actually stop people roaming the streets at night and if they don’t have a valid reason for being there, they can be told to leave or be escorted away.”

Another neighbour, retired police officer Theo Meyer, said a community meeting, including members of the police, community policing forum and

‘ The suspicion is that children are being used to steal copper pipes, or to gain access to yards and scout for easy targets, because the consequences will be less severe for them’

neighbourhood watch, was called on Thursday evening to discuss the increase in crime and to encourage more people to join the neighbourhood watch in the Walmer area.

“The fact of the matter is that the police do not have enough resources to cover everywhere at once, and the responsibility cannot lie solely with private security firms to fill those gaps.

“Citizens need to stand up for themselves and join structures like the neighbourhood watch if they want to play a proactive role in the safety of their community,” Meyer said.

Atlas marketing manager Ryan Morris said the crime rate in Walmer South had exponentially increased over the past 10 months, so much so that they took it upon themselves to add another armed response vehicle to the area.

“People in the area are becoming desperate to generate some form of income, as unemployment is ever increasing.

“For this reason we have seen a rise in theft from property, specifically targeting copper pipes, water meters, and anything that’s within reaching distance and easy to carry.

“We urge residents to take all the necessary steps to protect the perimeters of their property, as early detection is the key in prevention,” Morris said.