Criminals target complexes in Durban North area

Blue Security operations manager Brian Jackson said the crimes, which mostly occurred between 6am and 7am in the morning and around 3am, were reported in Briardene, Durban North, La Lucia and Mount Edgecombe, Umhlanga and Effingham Heights.

Jackson said burglars, undeterred by the rainy weather, had targeted complexes, homes and businesses, scaling walls, derailing a driveway gate and cutting the locks on driveway gates to gain entry onto properties.
A complex in Chartwell Drive in Umhlanga was targeted at around 3am on Sunday and another was hit in Deepdale Avenue in Effingham Heights at 3am on Monday morning, he said. “Burglars attempted to jump into the complex in Chartwell drive but fled the scene when security guards spotted them. In the second incident housebreakers derailed the complex gate and broke into one of the units on the property. It was unclear what was stolen,” he said.
“We urge residents in secure complexes to be vigilant and to ensure that their homes are adequately secured, that cars are locked away in the garage overnight and that alarms are armed at night,” he said. He added that burglars had cut the locks on the arms of a driveway gate of a property in Gainsborough Drive where they attempted to steal a vehicle that was parked on the property. “They damaged the ignition and steering column before fleeing the scene. “Opportunistic criminals tend to target properties where they can see vehicles have been left parked outside on the property at night and they break in to see what valuables they can steal such as phones and Garmins that may have been left in cars,” he said.
In Halloaed Road in Mount Edgecombe a gang of five burglars driving a Mercedes drove into a business complex where they then forced open the door of one of the premises. “The gang fled with a laptop and a computer as well as the DVR for the CCTV camera system, which they stole from a guard hut. The Phoenix SAPS attended the scene of the crime,” he said.
Housebreakers jumped over the fence of a property in Old Bush Road in La Lucia and forced open a sliding door to gain entry into the home. They fled with two televisions, gate remotes, keys and remote alarm panic buttons. “Copper pipe theft also remains a problem and the latest incident was reported in Northway where a thief jumped over the wall of a property and removed copper pipes and a tap before fleeing. Fortunately, our armed reaction officer recovered the stolen copper at the scene of the crime and handed it back to the owner,” he said.