AUGUST 2021 OVERVIEW
Safeguard Security has also observed an increase in criminals removing durawall panels or digging under the durawall to access properties. Though Safeguard reported fewer armed robberies, criminals continue to target individuals known to carry or store hard currency. Two incidents of gunshots fired were reported in Emerald Hill and Highlands. The circumstances of these incidents remain unknown. In an effort to curb violent crime, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) is urging the public to report any individuals known to possess or carry firearms.
NATIONWIDE AND HARARE CRIME STATS
CRIME BREAKDOWN BY MONTH
Security Advice
- Property owners are urged to install sensors at their gates and along their perimeter for early intruder detection.
- Vehicle batteries, especially for trucks and generators should be caged to avoid easy theft. In addition, alarm sensors should be installed in these areas as well, i.e. car park, generator, depot etc.
- CCTV monitoring has helped spot crimes in progress and as well as identify criminal suspects through CCTV playback. Business owners, especially those in the retail and industrial sectors should consider installing cameras on their properties. For technical assistance and quotations, please do not hesitate to contact Safeguard Alarms.
Outlook
With the relaxation of lockdown and the opening of schools, crime, especially theft, is likely to increase.
Schools should ensure that they have strict access controls onto their premises as well as a guard to man their car parks as theft from vehicles will increase.
For a walk-through of your security at home or business, please do not hesitate to give Safeguard a call. Your safety is our priority.
Thank you for using Safeguard.
AUGUST 2021 INCIDENT SUMMARIES
HARARE
Robbery
20 August 2021, 19-13, Residential Site, Doveton Avenue, Borrowdale – An alarm signal was received and a team was dispatched. The team met the client who said her tenant in the cottage has been robbed. Borrowdale Police arrived at the same time as our team. The tenant was robbed of $100US by four armed robbers. A toy gun was recovered at the exit by the police. The cottage is not covered by a Safeguard alarm.
Shots Fired
28 August 2021, 22-09, Residential Site, Belfast Road, Emerald Hill – An alarm was triggered and a team was dispatched. The client reported that he heard shots fired in the area. Our team checked and no suspicious activity was reported.
28 August 2021, 22-20, Residential Site, Arcturus Road, Greendale – Three shots were heard along Arcturus Road near Kamfinsa shops.
Break-in
1 August 2021, 12-59, Retail Site, Telford Road, Graniteside– An unknown number of intruders cut the razor wire and attempted to enter the premises. An alert guard raised alarm upon seeing the intrusion and the response team was dispatched to the site. No losses were reported as the intruders fled the scene.
3 August 2021, 04-30, Residential Site, Hindhead Avenue, Chisipite – An panic signal was received and a reaction team was dispatched. A panic signal was received when intruders were seen running away from the house. The intruders broke one durawall panel to get into the premises, they forced open the glass door and cut the xpanda to enter the house. A TV set was stolen. Highlands police attended the scene.
5 August 2021, 02-41, Residential Site, Alfred Road, Greendale – A panic signal was received and a team was dispatched. The team checked and the intruders had cut two electric fence wires. Nothing was reported stolen.
6 August 2021, 23-49, Residential Site, Maxwell Avenue, Groombridge – A panic signal was received and a response team was dispatched. Intruders broke the spare bedroom window and cut the burglar bars but nothing was stolen. Borrowdale police attended the scene.
6 August 2021, 01-54, Residential Site, Harare Drive, Borrowdale – An alarm was activated, and a response team was dispatched. Intruders removed a window panel with a screwdriver and put it to the side. They cut the burglar bars and stole a TV from the lounge.
7 August 2021, Unknown Time, Healthcare Facility, Chiremba Road, Hatfield – An unknown number of intruders forcibly accessed the premise and removed an undisclosed amount of property.
7 August 2021, 21:14, Retail Site, Robert Mugabe Road, City Centre – An unknown number of intruders attempted to force open the main door causing the alarm activate. The response team was dispatched and upon arrival, it was discovered the intruders had fled, no losses were reported.
13 August 2021, 05:30, Residential Site, Usselby Road, Waterfalls – A phone call was received and a response team was dispatched. Intruders broke the bottom door hinge of the kitchen door but ran away empty-handed when the alarm sounded.
17 August 2021, 02:15, Base Station, Hunyani Avenue, Mabvuku – An unknown number of intruders attempted to force open the palisade fence causing the alarm to activate. The response team was dispatched and upon arrival, the team met two private guards who informed the team that the intruders had fled the scene, no losses were reported.
18 August 2021, 23:43, Residential Site, Epping Road, Mount Pleasant – Intruders opened the dining room window and cut the burglar bars using a bolt cutter. They ran away empty-handed when the alarm sounded. Mabelreign Police attended the scene. An overnight guard was requested.
24 August 2021, 05:11, Residential Site, Buckland Road, Pomona – Intruders broke the durawall and broke into a flat. They stole a plasma TV, iPad, iPhone, and US dollars. The intruders also broke into the storeroom and stole two mountain bicycles.
28 August 2021, 01-51, Residential Site, Wallis Road, Mandara – An alarm signal was received and the client informed the team it was a false alarm. The client called again 7 minutes later and said her kitchen door had been forced open. The team arrived and discovered a laptop and two cellphones were stolen. The client declined police involvement.
28 August 2021, 20-01, Residential Site, Broadlands Road, Emerald Hill – A panic signal was received and a team was dispatched. Intruders broke a bedroom window and cut and removed the burglar bars. They ran away empty-handed when the alarm sounded.
31 August 2021, 20-55, Industrial Site, Harare Drive, Msasa– The guard on duty raised alarm upon noticing that intruders had broken the durawall panels and cut through the electric fence. The intruders had attempted to remove scrap metal from the premises but were disturbed by the guard.
Theft
1 August 2021, 15-55, Industrial Site, Ventursburg, Sunway City– At least two individuals connived with employees and security to steal goods from the site. An employee found the suspects’ truck parked in the yard and raised an alarm. The suspects immediately fled the scene in the truck and the matter was reported to the police and the response team was dispatched to the site. Thus far, one of the suspects has been arrested whilst the rest are still on the run.
1 August 2021, Unknown Time, Logistics/Industrial Site, Spurrier Road, New Ardbennie– An unknown number of intruders scaled the durawall and removed batteries from a vehicle parked on site.
4 August 2021, Unknown Time, Logistics/Industrial Site, Chitungwiza – An arrest was made after an employee attempted to steal 1x6m of copper wire. The incident was caught on camera leading to the arrest of the employee.
7 August 2021, 01-05, Residential Site, Enterprise Road, The Grange – Intruders stole two cameras which were at the main gate and a sensor that covers the gate motor. Highlands Police attended the scene.
7 August 2021, 04-07, Residential Site, Dover Road, Chisipite – An alarm was activated, and a response team was dispatched. Intruders stole a sensor covering the gate motor. The client said she would make a police report later in the day.
8 August 2021, 17-50, Residential Site, Carsberg Avenue, Alex Park – The caretaker reported that the gate motor was stolen the previous night. The client is out of town. Avondale police attended the scene.
9 August 2021, 17-55, Commercial Site, George Avenue, Msasa – The night guard found the day guard handcuffed and locked in the guardroom. Whilst subdued the guard heard two vehicles entering the premises. It is unsure what was stolen. The main gate and warehouse cameras were covered by stickers. The warehouse fence was cut as the point of entry. The case was reported to Rhodesville Police.
10 August 2021, 02-52, Industrial Site, Masotsha Ndlovu Road, Ardbennie – An employee and his brother were arrested by Waterfalls Police for stealing roof sheets off of the property.
10 August 2021, Unknown Time, Residential Site, Basset Crescent, Alex Park – A phone call was received and reported a stolen gate motor. The electric fence was cut. No signal was received.
11 August 2021, Unknown Time, Industrial Site, Melbourne Road, Msasa – Three truck batteries were stolen off of the property.
12 August 2021, Unknown Time, Commercial Site, Rotten Row, Harare – Two laptops were reported missing from the offices.
15 August 2021, Unknown Time, Chinhoyi Street, City Centre – Two laptops were reported missing from the second floor.
19 August 2021, 16-55, Residential Site, John Plagis Avenue, Alexandra Park – The top panel of the durawall was removed. The gate motor was stolen from the opposite property.
19 August 2021, 03-05, Residential Site, Iverary Road, Pomona – A reaction team responded to an alarm signal. Intruders had stolen three Zesa cables. Two cables were left hanging and caused sparks with the razor wire.
23 August 2021, Unknown Time, Industrial Site, Delport Road, Epworth – A truck battery was stolen from the premises.
26 August 2021, 05:05, Industrial Site, Salford Road, Workington – Two vehicle batteries were stolen from the site after intruders entered the premise through a cut electric fence.
27 August 2021, 15-25, Industrial Site, James Martin Avenue, Southerton – A detail had arrested someone for stealing a pump. The culprit was taken to the nearest police station.
27 August 2021, 01-55, Industrial Site, Williams Way, Msasa – An alarm activated and a response team was dispatched. One of the rucks had fuel siphoned from it. There were several containers full of fuel seen next to the truck.
23 August 2021, 03-25, Residential Site, Yarmouth Avenue, The Grange – An alarm activated, and a response team was dispatched. Intruders tampered with the gate motor but did not steal it.
25 August 2021, Unknown Time, Residential Site, Benetor Way, Alexandra Park – Intruders cut the electric fence and stole the gate motor. *Alexandra Park has had 22 thefts of gate motors since 25th July.
26 August 2021, 02-33, Residential Site, Cecil Rhodes Drive, Newlands – A phone call was received and a response team was dispatched. Intruders attempted to steal the gate motor but ran away empty-handed when noticed by the private guard.
28 August 2021, 07-43, Residential Site, Wiltshire Road, Greendale – An alarm activated, and a response team was sent. Two vehicle batteries and several buckets of paint were stolen during the night.
Intruder
3 August 2021, 02-08, Residential Site, Davids Way, Bluff Hill – An alarm sounded and a reaction team was sent. Intruders were on the property vandalising the Zesa transformer. Mabelreign police attended the scene.
18 August 2021, 02:50, Industrial Site, Harrow Road, Msasa – Alert guards saw an intruder loitering inside the premise and raised alarm. When the intruder saw that he had been spotted, he exited the premises. No losses were reported.
22 August 2021, 00:30, Educational Institution, Fisher Avenue, Borrowdale – Two intruders were seen loitering on site. Upon seeing that they had been spotted by the guards, the intruders fled the scene. A response vehicle was dispatched to the site; no losses were reported.
22 August 2021, 20-04, Residential Site, Jerimani Close, Bluffhill – An alarm signal was received and a reaction team was sent. There were intruders who wanted to enter the client’s yard when he arrived home. He fired one warning shot to scare the intruders, other residents come to help and one suspect was arrested and taken to Mabelreign Police Station. Our team checked the area for any other suspects but they had fled.
25 August 2021, 01-39, Intruder, Residential Area, Westgate – A panic signal was received and a team was dispatched. Neighborhood watch had caught an intruder. The intruder was taken to Mabelreign Police Station by our team.
BULAWAYO
Armed Robbery
28 August 2021, 02:30, Industrial Site, Thornwest Crescent, Thorngrove – An unknown number of intruders forcibly accessed the premise and held up the patrolling guard. The intruders spent approximately an hour and a half on-site as they used grinders to access the strong-room. The intruders took an undisclosed amount of money and fled the scene. The response team was dispatched to the site when the guard broke free.
Break-In
1 August 2021, 01:48, Industrial Site, Heronmere Road, Sunninghill – Intruders accessed the premises and stole an undisclosed amount of property from the offices. The incident was discovered by one of the employees who then called the control room and a response team was dispatched.
1 August 2021, 03:52, Retail Site, Flint Road, Hillside – An unknown number of intruders cut through the electric fence and attempted to force their way onto the premise. The alarm activated and the intruders fled the scene before the team arrived. The private guard on-site informed the team that he suspected that the intruders had fled the scene in an undisclosed vehicle.
12 August 2021, Unknown time, Medical Facility, 11th Avenue, City Centre – An unknown number of intruders forced their way into the building by using the gutter pipe to climb onto the lower roof. The intruders entered through a partially opened window and broke the screen doors meanwhile avoiding the doors with mags. The radio and control box were vandalized but nothing was removed from the site. It is reported that the intruders were looking for money and fled when they didn’t find it.
17 August 2021, 11:00, Recreational Centre, Cecil Avenue and Joburg Road, Khumalo – An unknown number of intruders forced their way onto the premise and stole two computers, CPU, printer, monitor, smart television, and a variety of bottles of alcohol. No guard on site.
21 August 2021, 23:55, Residential Site, Park Road, Suburbs – At least one suspect cut the electric fence and attempted to enter the premises. The resident heard the noise and pressed his panic button and the response team was dispatched to the site. Upon arrival, the suspects saw one of the suspects fleeing the premises. No losses were reported.
27 August 2021, 03:42, Residential Site, Valeview Road, Sunninghill – An unknown number of intruders attempted to access the house through the kitchen door. The alarm activated and the response team was dispatched to the site. The intruders had fled the scene when the response team arrived, no losses reported.
28 August 2021, 02:47, Residential Site, Emerald Hill Road, Hillside – An unknown number of suspects cut the electric fence and broke a cottage window before ransacking it. The intruders then exited the cottage and proceeded to the main house where they broke a window and entered the office. The alarm activated once the intruders were inside the office. The response team was dispatched to the site and upon arrival, they noted that the intruders had ransacked both the main house office and cottage. The house was unoccupied during the incident as the resident was out of town. Losses if any, are yet to be confirmed.
28 August 2021, 23:00, Residential Site, Robin Close, Burnside – An intruder forced his way onto the premise and broke through the lounge window, cutting the burglar bars. The resident heard the noise and upon investigation, he saw the intruder outside the house. The resident fired a warning shot and pressed his panic button and the response team was dispatched to the site. No losses reported.
Theft
2 August 2021, Unknown Time, Industrial Site, Doncaster Road, Belmont – Two truck batteries were reported missing on site. The batteries were last seen on the 26th of July 2021 and it is unknown when they went missing. No signs of forced entry reported. Nightguard on site.
22 August 2021, 14:30, Retail Site, Lockwood Road, Woodlands – The guard on site reported that two vehicles were broken into on-site and the following were stolen: route permit, wheel spanner and COVID-19 certificates from the first vehicle, and a bunch of keys from the second.
30 August 2021, 15:00, industrial Site, Basch Street, Steeldale – An employee reported that his cellphone was stolen from the site. The employee had left his cellphone in one of the offices where it was stolen.
Intruder
31 August 2021, 04:54, Recreation Centre, Fairbridge Way, Ilanda – A private guard pressed the panic button after he saw an intruder inside the premises. The response team was dispatched to the site and no losses or signs of forced entry were found.
MANICALAND
Armed Robbery
25 August 2021, 20:06, Residential Site, Bvumba – At least one suspect accosted the resident whilst demanding property from the site. The male resident was assaulted with a machete, sustaining injuries on his left leg, forehead and some bruising all over his body. The resident managed to press his panic button during the attack and the response team was dispatched to the site. The intruders left the scene empty-handed just as the response team arrived. The resident was taken to the hospital for medical assistance.
Break-In
4 August 2021, 02:33, Residential Site, Murapa Avenue, Sakubva – An unknown number of intruders cut through the electric fence and jumped over the durawall. The intruders forced open the doors in the administration block and the alarm triggered as they attempted to open the screen door. The intruders fled the scene, no losses reported.
27 August 2021, 03:33, Retail Site, Glasgow Road, Muneni – The alarm activated, and the response team was dispatched to the site. Upon arrival, it was discovered that intruders had dug under the durawall into the warehouse and tried to steal 1x20kg of sugar. The alarm activated and the intruders fled the scene leaving the sugar stuck in the hole.
Theft
6 August 2021, Unknown Time, Industrial Site, Durban Road, Nyakamete – An unknown number of intruders stole the security fence and fled the scene. Guard on-site.
8 August 2021, Unknown Time, Retail Site, Glasgow Road, Muneni – Intruders chiselled 5 metres of galvanised pipe and removed it from the premises. The incident was discovered during handover take over the next morning.
23 August 2021, 00:06, Industrial Site, St Helens Drive, Nyakamete – An alert checker saw a male suspect carrying 3x6m of roofing timbers. The checker stopped his motorbike and asked him where he had gotten the timber. The suspect dropped the timber and fled the scene.
31 August 2021, 09:46, Retail Site, Chipanda Street, City Centre – A female suspect was apprehended after attempting to steal 2x2x12 litre cooking oil and 4x12x1 soap from the site.
MASHONALAND EAST
Break-In
2 August 2021, 03:20, Base Station, Nyabira – The response team was dispatched after the alarm activated on-site. Upon arrival, the team discovered that intruders had broken the palisade bars and siphoned an undisclosed amount of fuel from the tank.
Theft
26 August 2021, 21-55, Industrial Site, Galloway Road, Norton – Two truck batteries were stolen. ZRP Mbare were advised.
MASVINGO PROVINCE
Break-In
05 August 2021, 03:06, Entertainment Centre, Masvingo – The response team was dispatched to the site after the alarm activated. Upon arrival, the team discovered that intruders had forced their way onto the premises and stolen an undisclosed amount of property from the site.
MIDLANDS
Break-In
10 August 2021, 08:25, Retail Site, Gweru City Centre – The response team was dispatched after the alarm activated. Upon arrival, the team met the client who had triggered the alarm upon discovering that the front shop window had been broken. This is the third incident at the same window and the client has been advised to install sensors on the windows.