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Chief Inspector Precious Simango

Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
POLICE in Bulawayo yesterday said shops selling second-hand property have become a haven for stolen property.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Chief Inspector Precious Simango said law enforcement agents have recorded an increase in the number of burglaries and theft from vehicles.

“We’ve noted with concern the increase in the number of unlawful entry and theft cases that are occurring in the city. The criminals are targeting electrical gadgets which include television sets, laptops and cellphones among other things.

“We are also of the view that these criminals will be targeting cash in the houses that they break into,” said Chief Insp Simango.

She however could not immediately provide statistics of the cases that they have handled so far.

Chief Insp Simango said most of the stolen property finds its way to second-hand property dealers in the city.

“Second-hand property dealers are the main market for these stolen properties. As police we usually routinely raid these second-hand dealers to inspect whether the property they are selling is not stolen.

“If we find property that has no traceable record, we confiscate it and open criminal proceedings as we believe it would have found its way there through illegal means,” said Chief Insp Simango.

She said second-hand property dealers should keep registers of the items they are selling together with the serial numbers and proof of the origin of their stock.

Chief Insp Simango said there is a growing tendency that individuals become too flashy when they are in possession of substantial amounts of money.

She said this has led to many people being attacked and robbed.

Her comments come following a robbery case where a Bulawayo businessman lost $18 000 to robbers 12 hours after selling a house.

The provincial police spokesperson urged members of the public to fight crime by not exposing themselves to criminals.

“We appeal to members of the public to execute target-hardening methods. They should make it difficult for would-be robbers to raid them through tightening their security at homes and business premises. The residents can do that by mounting burglar bars and screen doors at their homes while employing security guards and installing closed-circuit television at their business premises,” said Chief Insp Simango.

“I also would like to discourage motorists from leaving valuables in their vehicles as this makes them easy targets for the robbers.

“We’re recording an increased number of thefts from vehicles, which we attribute to negligence on the part of some motorists who leave their valuables exposed in their cars, attracting criminals.” — @nqotshili.