In yet another incident where premises in the Laudium area were being watched by security guards, thieves managed to break in without being noticed by the guards.
As more and more crime seems to be directed to areas that are not gated, so that thieves can get in and get out easily, residents in the ungated areas are concerned that they are now being targeted more than before, as the number of street blocks being gated increases. Properties that have open vacant spaces behind or next to them are also being increasingly targeted, irrespective of whether it is a home, business or even a religious institute, with criminals prepared to steal anything of some value, that they can get their hands on. This follows a break-in at the Darus Salaam Islamic Centre, on Corundum Str, which is not part of any of the gated areas and which has an open area behind and of the side of it. The break-in which took place in the morning of this past Saturday (Aug 10) resulted in thieves stealing a number of items including 19 chairs out of the 100 and 6 out of 20 tables that were stored in the wendy house on the property. The theft has left both residents who pray at the Mosque and the 2 security guard shocked. Sharing what transpired with the Laudium Sun, security guard Coneck Jacobe said, “It was Saturday morning at around 5:30am, when Lee Jacobe who is my colleague and myself were preparing for our last patrol before handing over to the morning shift security guards at 6am. As per routine, usually one of us has to patrol while the other remains in the guard room and this time, I remained in the guard room as my colleague Lee went to patrol. I was still in the guard room when Lee yelled for me and told me that there were intruders on the premises and that’s when I went out to see what was going on. As I made my way outside, our supervisor arrived and we went after the thieves. However we couldn’t catch them as they fled towards the bush. The thieves managed to get into the property by jumping over the fence and managed to open the wooden panels of the wendy house to get in and then stole the chairs and tables. I saw five thieves running away from a distance and I suspect that they had transport waiting for them outside, where they were taking the stolen items to. Site manager, Richard Mpete told the Laudium Sun, “I was surprised when I received a call from one of the security guards in the early morning of Saturday, informing me of what happened. This truly saddened me because a lot of people benefited from this equipment as the equipment was used for functions, meetings, etc and now we have to go back to the drawing board as to how to increase security at the premises.” The Laudium police refused to comment on this matter and Solly Jeewa from the centre said he had no comment to make.