Adopt target hardening techniques, police urge public

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, [email protected]
MEMBERS of the public have been urged to adopt target-hardening techniques to secure their homes and also utilize the house under supervision scheme which is available at all police stations in the country.
The call was made by the acting Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele, following the arrests of two men, John Chari (34) and Ntandoyenkosi Mpofu (24) both from Matshobane, Bulawayo in connection with a case of unlawful entry and theft.
Ast Insp Msebele said sometime in August 2024, the complainant, a male adult aged 57 also from Matshobane left his house going to his rural home in Plumtree.
He left his property under the custody of a male adult as the caretaker who was responsible for checking the house twice a week but was not residing there.
“On 02 January 2025 at around 0300 hours, the two accused persons proceeded to the complainant’s place of residence and forcibly opened the backdoor and gained entry into the house. Whilst in the house the accused persons stole various household properties which included TVs, gas cylinders, laptops, suitcases and speakers,” said Ast Insp Msebele.
She said the two accused used an unknown motor vehicle to ferry the property and shared it amongst themselves and kept the property at their places of residence.
She said on the same day police received information on the accused’s whereabouts and acting on the tipoff, they managed to arrest Chari who was interviewed and implicated Mpofu, leading to the recovery of some of the stolen property at their places of residence.
The complainant was advised and he positively identified his property and total value of stolen property is US$7000 and total value recovered is US$5800.
“As police we urge the community to use target hardening techniques in their homes by putting burglar bars and security screen doors. People are advised to communicate with their neighbours when leaving, practising a watch my back I watch your back theory and also utilise the house under supervision scheme which is available at all police stations,” said Ast Insp Msebele.
In criminology, target hardening is a strategy that increases the security of a property or installation to make it more difficult for criminals to access or attack.
The goal is to deter crime by making it more difficult for criminals to succeed and by increasing the risk of detection.
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