Jeremiah Mudonha Correspondent
There have been concerns over an increase in burglary cases in Harare, particularly in the Central Business District (CBD) with owners losing property worth thousands of dollars.
Police in Harare have been on high alert following the increase in burglary cases.
Burglary is mostly committed when an offender either as a trespasser or a planned thief enters a building intending to steal, inflict grievous bodily harm or do unlawful damage or all of it.
Harare Police provincial spokesperson Inspector Luckmore Chakanza confirmed the increase in burglary in the CBD.
“One of the cases is the three burglaries on shops along Blakeway Drive, Leopold Takawira and corner Nelson Mandela Avenue and Angwa Street respectively, all broken into between Wednesday and Thursday,” he said.
Along Blakeway Drive, 4 Acer laptops were reportedly stolen from Anlaby House after the burglars used an unknown object to break the door to enter. Then, at number 71 Leopold Takawira, the thieves allegedly broke the window and used a wire to fish out various clothes from the shop.
The unidentified burglars are said to have fished from the window 10 HP laptops and some phone accessories valued at US$3 800 from a shop at the corner of Nelson Mandela Avenue and Angwa Street.
According to Inspector Chakanza, the three incidents came hardly two days after another shop at 42 Sam Nujoma was hit and an assortment of goods worth over US$3 000 was stolen.
Information gathered shows that the break-ins have been occurring during the night when the owners would have gone home, and in most cases, leaving their shops unguarded.
“As we investigate the crimes, I want to assure members of the public that police are on high alert to ensure their safety and security. It is, however, disheartening that there are businesses out there that are still downplaying the essence of employing security guards to watch over their premises and properties overnight.
“We encourage our corporate world and sundry to consider increasing their security, given the rise in crime trends everywhere,” said Insp Chakanza.
According to security experts, property owners can make use of alarms to secure their homes.
Some of the security alarms are solar -powered, thereby allaying fears of them going dysfunctional when there is a power outage.
Break-ins have been a common in residential and business properties in Zimbabwe, with some attributing the growth of this crime to the advent of advanced technology and intelligence getting into the hands of criminals capable of circumventing traditional security measures.
For instance, the burglars seem to have mastered the art of breaking window glasses and manipulating burglar bars noiselessly and with speed.