Thieves ransack EC schools in lockdown
Thieves have been preying on schools around the Eastern Cape, stealing groceries meant for school nutrition and IT equipment such as computers and tablets, as well as electrical appliances, during levels 5 and 4 of the lockdown.
Though overall criminal activity in the province saw a substantial decline by 4,452 cases during alert levels 5 and 4 of the Covid-19 national lockdown compared to the same period last year, many schools have been ransacked. Thieves made off with nutrition supplies, lawnmowers and garden tools, water tanks, and even doors and windows.
Tabling its report, the provincial safety and security work stream told the Eastern Cape coronavirus command council that during the past two months, contact crimes had declined by 2,270 compared to the same period last year, and contact-related crimes by 343.
The multi-agency safety and security work stream is made up of provincial police, SANDF, traffic management services from provincial transport, municipal officers and the State Security Agency.
The command council heard that property-related crimes went down by 858 cases, other serious crimes by 762 and the crimes of house robbery, business robbery and vehicle hijacking by 170.
A spate of burglaries at schools, however, appears to have been the trade-off.
Between March 27 and April 30 there were 124 school burglaries registered, and between May 1 and May 31 another 131.
Since alert level 3 of the lockdown was activated on Monday, 13 more burglary cases at schools were opened. In the cases opened in level 5 and 4, 48 arrests were made in 21 cases, 19 cases were finalised as undetected, and 133 cases were still being probed.
The reduction in crime had been attributed to effective enforcement of regulations by government employees in the work stream, and to the prohibition of the sale of alcohol by the lockdown regulations.
But according to the safety and security work stream’s report, stock theft and business robberies rose during lockdown, especially break-ins at bottle stores.
As a result, the command council, led by premier Oscar Mabuyane, has approved a proposal from the work stream to improve co-ordination of the work of government departments and institutions, and to procure technological equipment such as drones and street cameras to improve community safety.
Mabuyane this week hailed the work done by law enforcement agencies.
“We appreciate the contribution by national government through the soldiers, the police and the selfless contribution by all women and men in uniform, especially traffic officers,” said Mabuyane.
The provincial government would continue to ensure enforcement of level 3 regulations in the province, aimed at fighting the spread of the coronavirus, he said.
Provincial education spokesperson Loyiso Pulumani was contacted for comment yesterday. He undertook to provide a response, but it had not been received by print deadline.