Guarding against cases of robbery

Crime Watch
A NUMBER of robbery cases occurred in areas around Rusape and Buhera in the past week. The modus operandi has been the same and almost amounts to a cycle: security guard alone at around mid-night, sound heard at the front gate, on checking there are four unknown men who pounce on the guard, tie him up with shoe laces, ransack the shop and make away with whatever they can lay their hands on. Police are called to the scene and quickly react but unfortunately there is no trace of the culprits. Investigations continue.

The same thing occurs again and again at the business centre located a few kilometres away and the dates and time intervals reveal this could be the same marauding group.

This week, we look at ways of protecting ourselves from falling victim to cases of robbery. Robbery is the use violence in order to make someone submit to the taking of his/her property or to keep the person from taking back the property immediately after the accused has taken it. It can be categorised as plain, where the accused robs his victim without using any weapons and armed where he has used a weapon.

Let us begin by observing that robbers are the kind of thieves who do not steal or pounce on your property when you are not aware. They rather face and dare you into battle for possession and their success is by and large dependent upon the depth and breadth of favourable circumstances obtaining.

In a number of cases they do their homework very well conducting a thorough study of the intended place to strike. This includes visiting shop premises under the guise of purchasing goods, spending time moving around or seated at any suitable place or even befriending a few local people over a short space of time to avoid appearing very strange and out of place.

It is for this reason that property owners especially business persons and their staff, till operators, general hands, neighbours, among others, need to be alert all the time. It is important to take a keen interest in any strangers who may be spending time a bit longer than that required to do any kind of business at you premises.

Day time security personnel should be very vigilant and keep an eye on activities and movements of every person. In peri-urban and growth points and shops located in isolated places, unfamiliar vehicles moving up and down roads should be monitored, registration numbers taken and effort to establish who the occupants are should be made. This is the reason we have often encouraged you to have contact details of your nearest police stations or individual officers so that activities out of the ordinary are quickly reported and investigated before any crime is committed.

Activities of the day should be communicated to the night security when taking over guard duties. All suspicious people and vehicles’ identity should be mentioned and the security urged to exercise high state of vigilance during their tour of duty. Guards on duty on adjoining premises must always keep in touch and upraise each other at intervals on the state of things at each premise. That way they can easily come to the help of the other should need arise.

While it is important to ensure that our premises are protected we must always bear in mind that life is more precious than material things. In the event of an attack, try to remain calm.

Do not try to fight back or disarm an armed robber when you are alone as this will cause him to panic and shoot. Take note of the identity and other details of the robber and his arms without making it obvious that you are doing so. In all armed cases surrender the money or property the robber is after. Let the property go and remain with your life. Lastly we should all take note of appeals that are made during the manhunt and identification of robbers on the loose in our area. Usually a description of the individual and their vehicles is given. Because vehicles are driven on roads it is only when we are on the lookout for them that we can win the war against robbers.

It is our hope that you have a festive season free of robberies.

Inserted by ZRP  Manicaland Press and Public Relations.