Community helps put burglar behind bars
The Plettenberg Bay community has proven its vigilance recently when residents made swift work of providing police with credible information about a wanted suspect which subsequently led to his arrest.
Plettenberg Bay
Crime Prevention Association (PBCPA) operations head Otto
Olivier said local police approached them to assist with circulating information about a house burglary suspect on 29 August.
“We started circulating the suspect’s picture with information and the community immediately responded,” Olivier said. He added that the police started receiving calls from residents providing details about the suspect’s whereabouts. “It was not even more than halfan-hour before the suspect was located and arrested.” Olivier said home burglaries have been on the increase in Plettenberg Bay over the past few weeks, especially in the Keurbooms area, and that the suspects did not appear to be opportunistic criminals but targeted specific houses and planned their attacks carefully.
He explained that some of the incidents involved suspects gaining access to unoccupied homes through the roof. During other incidents, where suspects forced their way into their target homes in other ways, the homeowners were at home at the time of the attack.
“We urgently need all residents to make sure that their alarms are in good working order. Have your alarms tested to make sure. Also make sure that your panic buttons work.”