Jewellery snatch attacks spread
Alert goes out after two young thugs target women in streets
POLICE and security officials have launched a manhunt for two young men driving around Port Elizabeth snatching necklaces from pedestrians before jumping back into their bakkie and speeding off. Since last week, police have confirmed several snatch-and-grab attacks, with the latest incident occurring on Sunday near the Sunridge Village Shopping Centre.
Security officials confirmed that at least eight attacks had taken place over the past week. In most cases, elderly women walking back to their vehicles alone were targeted by the thugs.
The series of incidents has prompted the Echo Foundation – which runs six retirement villages across Nelson Mandela Bay – to send an SMS alert to all its tenants.
Yesterday, Atlas Security spokesman Monty Montgomery said his team, together with the police, were on the lookout for the men.
“These are thugs who prey on the old and weak. I know of five incidents in the last week,” he said.
“Most of those cases were outside shopping centres, ranging from those in Walmer all the way up to Mount Pleasant.
“They either sit in the car park, watch the women walk into the centre and wait for them to come outside, or they go into the shops to case out a target and then wait outside in the car park.”
Montgomery said in all the cases he knew of, the victims had been senior citizens walking to their cars from inside the various shopping centres or other stores.
A 75-year-old woman, who did not want to be named for safety reasons, described how she managed to fend off one of the men last week while walking in Rink Street, Central.
“I was walking near to the Post Office when I saw the bakkie stop and the man jump out. As he ran up to me, I turned to him and raised my hand, while screaming,” she said.
“I told him there was no way he was stealing my necklace. I just screamed as loud as I could. I think he got such a fright, he just ran back to the bakkie and sped off with his friend.
“I was in such a state I did not even get the registration number. The worrying thing for me is that this is a very busy street and there is no security in sight.
“Even when I screamed, no one came to help me.
“I walked to a nearby petrol station and they told me that these two were there earlier in the day as well.”
The woman said she knew of another attack where they followed a victim back to her home in Park Lane after she had visited someone at St George’s Hospital.
“The man jumped out the bakkie, pushed her to the ground and grabbed her necklace before speeding off.”
Echo Foundation operations manager Lillian Swanepoel said she was aware of one incident outside Kruger Gardens in Admiralty Way, Summerstrand, earlier this month.
“I have heard of two other incidents [at other retirement villages] but do not have the details of these,” she said.
When I screamed, no one came to help me
“The SMS was sent as a precaution just to alert people to be extra cautious of these guys, clearly looking for easy targets.
“I don’t think they are specifically targeting the elderly but are more likely looking for any easy target. I think it is a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Swanepoel said they had CCTV footage of the attack outside Kruger Gardens and had made it available to police.
Police spokeswoman Colonel Priscilla Naidu said they were aware of several incidents involving the two suspects who drive an old white bakkie.
“We are looking for the two men involved. At this stage it appears to be opportunistic but not solely isolated to elderly folk.”
Asked what was being done to curb attacks, Naidu said a team had been deployed and all officers working in the field had been alerted.