Home Invasion: Robbers Disclose what You Should Know 0624048748, 9780624048749

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Rudolph Zinn

HOM[ IN VASION

Robbers disclose who'y"" .houiOrting J>Olicy formu l.tion

Moniloring t .. nds and poliC)' implementalion

New Mucklen e u k

Collecting, inlerpreting and dine min.ling information

Pretoria

Networking on naliona l. regiona l ~nd internalionalleve l.

0181

Thi. book ha. been publi.hed in coll a boralion wilh Ih e Crim e and Ju.lice Programm e of the In.lilute. The Programme is a policy ..search unit Ihat works to in · form and inRuence policy a nd pub lic di>cou .. e on crim e , its p .....,n t ion a nd criminal justice. It do.,. .0 by conducting resurch, analY" ing J>O licy, di ..e minaling

that the .. -

.u lts of the ... e arch .hou ld be mad e available to a ll in South Africa who

gender main.lreaming. II rulises Ihis vision by:

Unde rtaking app lied resurch, Iraining and

beli ~s

VfNW; ...fr icao'lf

c~n

u ..

,

.om. robberin

hou.e~olde ..

bally .bu•• d. On • dlH,. TACKLING CR IM E C LEVER LY

of silno p of t he Metropolita n Police Servico, lon -

Internationally, and upeci.lly in t he c..,e of the more ,ucce .. fu l po lico . e rvice.

don, lord Paul Condon and lat., lord (Dr) John Steven a,. u.e d .. a

through my friend.hip wit h the se two commi.. ion e~, to be give n open accen to

.ource of crime information . . . matte r of

th e po lico training faci lities in th e Unite d Kingdom .. wel l .. accen to the ir train-

official instruction. or practices

ing materi. 1 and re.e arch dat.o_ I wa ••1.0 fo rtunate to hove beon give n the oppor-

victed, e it her in th e po lice . e rvice or th e prison .y.tem_[!Q] While

tunity to underta~e a study tour o f mo.t of the police training fa cilit ies in .everal

debrie f a ll those who have beon convicted, inca rcer. ted crimina ls are neve rthe le ..

countrie s in Europe_ Al l this was put to good use when I did my re se arch in South

an usily traceable and acce nible .ource of information for t he police and t he De-

Africa_

p.rtm e nt o f Corroctiona l Se rvice once the y have been con jt

not rulistic to

r~­

m a ins untapped_

officers or pro.e cutors as little information . . possible about the ir crimina l .ctivit ie < and . .. oo.te ,_ H owe ve r, once th oy have bee n convicte d .nd put be hind bars,

T he role o f cri m" int e UigefK10 in preve ntin B cri me

th oy ha..., much Ie .. to lo,e . I wante d to find out if crime intellige nce derive d from

Mod.,n crim e -combating slfategies p lace g,.at e mph ..is on the p",vent ion o f

intervi~

c rime_ Th i. hu unfo rtunately p l.ce d un",ali.tic expect.tion. on the police s e rvice ,

with house robbe r> could be u.e d to comb.t thue typu of robbe rie ._

Apart from it, use in the prevention .nd in"".tigation o f crim e , the inte lligence

which cannot .ingle-hande dly prevent crime, despite

cou ld be u.e d to preve nt convicted crimin a l< from returning to crime a nd provide

m e nt, m a intaining of order, invutigation and visible policing_ illl

u .. fu l information for the man.gement of cor,.ctiono l c e ntre ,_

jt.

central role in low e nforce-

Whi le the investigation of crimes and prosecution of offend e rs may not be

enough 10

comb~1

Soulh Arrico', .. ception~lly high level. of crime, th e g.lhering

and ana ly,i, of crime

inform~tion

are of cordin.1 n lue in

formul~ling

crime

in leUigen ce .1l3] Inlelligence-Ied inlervenlion, c.n be ruclive, moaning u.od in in -

In thi' ... p e ct the De portm enl of

Corr level of risk. TIwy .aw it as more ri.ky than ....,hode h'jadelng '" b"'1llry (when nobody .. pre ... nt on the premi .... )_ One of tM robb." poInted

0,"

doe v.ctIm. "'" often armed and willinl to ri.k Inythinl,

f or thi. type of oncounter tM plannIng needs to b. meticuiou. so .. to tak. Idvlntag" of tM eloment of ,,,rpn ... Ind mInim .... the

ri.~

of b.inS wounded or

Jc;lled by the OCCl>pants So it "'IS not .u",r",ng thlt the y.. t mlj",ity of robb. .. ~3

.1>0, opee.. 1 secunl)' IMUoll, KeUS conl....ll th. neishbourhood and whmer. owo-.oy r.d.o netwon. w.. In place. " _"·secu,ed "ei,hbourh.ood w;. . considered

..,., br." ".k and the robbe .. moved Ih"" attention to .,... with le n RCUrity_ One robbe, for eumple sui h. and hos IrouP neve.

cn.id.~

mbbins a

houu unless they hid obtaIned i"s.de info..... llon ."abling them 10 plon tM It-

indudinlshootinl the attacker. to protect the .. flmlh ....

interviewed _

,'.mHlts

percent - emphaSIsed the importance of careful pllnninl_

ud ,n deta'i. In h., a.mlnololoc.1 ruureh, C.W. Marli. found that the ·planninl phu,,· i, a auclaJ pan of the modo.tJ opuD"Ji of criminal._1UI Of th. robb. .. who _re Intervl_ed.

n

percent SlId tll.,.- h.d r"""i""d prior informltion lbout th" tar-

g" hou ... or its resid"nt. In the majority of Mon cas". the inform" .. w.re peopl"

,",,0 were well-known to T~ e

t~ e

victim . of the eventual hou,e robbery.

One of the robbe rs had bee n fi .. d from hi, Saturday gardene r job (piece job)

hou .. i, th en watched to und e"",nd t he routine , of the re,id e nts, find out

after a /i,tfight with hi. e mploye r. H e and hi. frie nd. decided to atta ck and rob the

,""at , ecurity devices a .. in place , identify escape route. , and e,tabli,h on optimal

former e mploye r out of revenge. Hi. frie nd. advi.ed him to wait ,orne t ime before

tim e for

t~e

robbery. In one o f the extre m e co,es, p .. -plonning e ntaile d four

month.' ,urveillance of th e "'rgeted

~ou.e.

On th e logi,tics .ide , fi .. arm. and

bre ak-in tool. are ob"'ined, an d tron.port planned. The robbers recruit accom ·

carrying out the robbe ry '0 that the police wou ld not ,u'pect him. He th.,e fore waited five mont h. be fore th e robbery, in the m e antim e planning the at"'ck. In a robbery committed in a .. mote town in Mpumal anga Province , part of the

p lice. in advance a nd allocate 'pecific ",.Ie. to t e am members, ,uch os detaining

pre-p lann ing included fi nding accomp lices and ob"'ining a vehicle, ,""ich hod to

or ,earching victim,. Immediately before th e robbe ry, th e ,urrounding prope rty i,

com e from Couteng, 33 kilometr .. away. Ac commodation for th e perpetrators

put und., furth e r .urvei ll ance.

was . e l up in a vil lage n e ar the town. Thoy kept the movements of

t~e

domestic

The five who had carrie d out farm hou .. robberie , uid that once they had re-

worker unde r ,urvei llance both while ,he was in town a nd .1 the targeted hou.e,

cruited accomplice, and inform ant, (farm I. bourer, dome,tic worke r or former

and th ey watched the hou .. until an opportunity oro.. to gain e nt.-.nce when a

emp loyee) they u,ua lly 'pent betwee n two d a r> and

door was left open.

tw he later;

wo~ l d

look out for we .., doo"" and window> whero h e cou ld bre ak in

b~rglar proo~ng ~nd >ec~rity

gat ..; the

~Iorm

>Y'te m; the pre>ence of dog>;

location of nl~able item> vi>ible through the window> >uch u "'-ptop compute ", ; ond t he

ro~tine

a >tudy of th e

of th e r..ide nts, e>pecially wh e n they went to bed. H e wou ld

>ec~rity

m~ke

.. rvice > in the neighbourhood, noting how often ,"curity

ve hicle > patro lled and whe re >ecur;ty guard> we .. >tationed whe n they were not patrolling. Thi> a llowed h im to .. tima te the tim e it wou ld !.oke for a >e curity ve hic le to reach the hou .. >hou ld the a larm

~

wa> mo>t likely that >e curity veh icle > p lanned robbe ry. He would keep

~p

th e clie n!'> p ro mi .. > ond le ave a window >Iightly ajar to a llow e.>y e ntry aft .. hou",. The activitie > of thi>

rob~r

ond hi> accomplice> extended from

Ga~te ng

to

th e Kw.Zulu -Natal South Coa>t. b~t

w.. unable to ope n th e >ate.

ret~m e d

to the .. me hou>e in a more

In one cue th e rupond e nt burgle d a hou>e Five montl" late r he .nd h i> accomplice>

carefu lly p lanned hou>e robbery which e n. bled them to ge t t he key> of the ..fe. The ru>on> for .. Iecting a >pecific

a,"~

or neighbourhood we re clo>e ly linke d

trigge .. d. He worked out t he tim .. whe n it

with t he .... on> for >electing a p articu lar victim. Accen to informe", who could

wo~ l d

provide information

not

~

patrolling on the night of t he

thi> >Y'tem.tic >urveillance for a wee k be fo ..

committing the robbe ry. One re >pond e n!'> method w"' to collaborate with a

abo~t

who might

victim who w.. ol ",.dy known to

~

afflu e nt, or information a bout a pote ntio l

~ affl~ent.

were further d e ciding facio", in the

>election. Four re >pondenl> >aid afflu e nce wa> the d e ciding factor in ide ntifying h~>ba nd

a nd wife who

hou>e> worth robbing . They m e ntion e d expen>i",,-Ioolcing hou>e> - doub le "o'"y ~>

or a rchite ct d .. igned - .. >ign> of afflu e nce,

premi>e > whi le vi>iting their cli e nt>. They then provide d th e ,">pond e nt wit h infor·

Added attr.ction> w e", expen>i "" ca"" or clearly vi>ible ite m> of valu e.

motion on the layout and >ecurity mea>ure > o f t he targeted premi>e > and the loca · tion of the >afe. If ponible, during a bu>inen vi>it. th e couple would u>e a toilet a t

The >e four re>pondent.

~re

"""II u e laborate

>ec~rity

operate d a >ecurity con>uitoncy bu>ine". Thi> coup le would >cout out pote ntia l

e mphatic that no amount of >ecurity

th e m if th ey con>idered th e !.orget worthwhile. They

~ I ieved

feature >.

wo~ l d

th.t with

>top

~r ea rm>

it

wa, possible to break into any premi,es whether th e", were , e curity equipment, hign fe nce " or dog, in'ide or outs ide the hou,e. On e ""pondent

d~imed

Oth e r robbe rs , elected nouse. on the ba,i, of th e ir low ,eeuri,>,. Open or un locked

that

doors and gate " often as a resu lt of childre n coming and go ing, mad e a pro'pe c-

'even if tne re are many cop" we just do,e cur m ind, [to tne prese nce of the police[

tive nouse more attractive to t hem. AI,o mentioned os 'ign' of lax ,ecurity were

.nd on ly think oftne thing' we want, eve n if the hou,e i. in tne middle of town'. If

low fences, no dog" no guard" and no p e op le working in t he yard. Parhd cars

they were otnerwi,e unab le to gain access to tne pre mises th ey wou ld adapt th e ir

indicate d that the owners we", prese nt, which for the robbers m e ant acce ss to

mod", operandi, for e xample by hiding at the gate '0 a, to o""rpowe r victim. wh e n

valuable , and the keys o f th e ... fe.

th ey e nte red or left the re ,idence.

In an eJ of Ih. morning

Anolh ., ,..pondent and h i, accomp lic .., who had ke pi a houu und., .urve il-

between 3am and 10m; and 1 p e rce nl al mid-morn ing betwee n lOam and noon_ Th.

lanee fo. four month" nolice d th.1 the wife did nol . tay Ihere during the w.ek and

remain de. of the robberi ..,

Ihat Ihe father and ,on wenl oul on Thur>day ev.n ing'_ Th ey th.,efore bu.gled the

lim .. _

hou,e on Iw occ..,on. on a

Th~r>d.y

10

l2

p e rce nl, took p lace al variou, olhe.

evening_ How ...." Ihey w.re unable 10

. t.al anything of much v.lue, '0 Ih.y decided to rob the houu on a Tu ..day .ve ning whe n the fath ., and ,on would be home_ W. . kda~ were ... id 10 be be tt., by on. robber beaou u ,.,id.nl. were more likely 10 be hom e lhen_ H . a l,o said Ihal over wee la,nd. re,id e nts a,. more like ly 10 party o. b.... i and become inloxical.d_ H. fell thai inloxicated victim. are m ore dif!icu ilio conlrol, and lend 10 counlera ct th e attack, which fo.e .. the robber> 10 ~u

amo~nling

.xce"ive violenc e _ Thi. in lurn mak .. a noi.e and can d.aw the att. nlion of

E lu,s 'i TIm",.t which IhS hoy,S robberi", occurred

""id e nls or dome,tic workers we re at hom e _ The robbe " we", ca",fulto chao,e tim .. whe n people were in, id e the hou,e ra ther than moving around t he gard e n or yard, '0 t he times they avoided we re in the morning betwee n 70m ond gam and in th e I.te afternoon betwee n 4pm and 6pm_ In most ca, .., the break-in wa, pre c e ded by. period in which the re ,ident. were ob,e rved by th e robbers for anything betwee n a few minute, to. number ofhou,,_ In ge n e ral th e robbers said they pref.fTe d to break in when re ,ident. were re laxing, particu lany when they we re wa tching t. levi,ion, but in ony cue befo", they .ettI.d down for the night. They said .t t hi' time re,id e nt, wou ld not ye t have acti vated th e a l.rm 'y,te m, wh.", .. once th ey go to bed t he a larm i. u,ualfy armed_ Al.o a t t hi' tim e the noi,e , in the hou.e - from the t elevi,ion and oth er activitie , like pre paring food - Ofe like ly to muk any .ound, mad e by th. robbe ,, _ If a ll the re,id e nt. a", in.ide it gives intnJd ... a chance to ob,erve the hou,e from out,ide (from the .t",e t or, more commonfy, the yard or garden) and work out whe re the re,id.nt. a",_ A. note d, mo", th.n ha lf t he robberies

l'il

p e rce nt)

too k place betwee n 7pm and midnight. whe n it was e .. y to see into the ill um inated The .vide nce .hoWl th.t th e robbe "

tend.d to commit t heir crimes wh .n

room, of t he

ho~, e .

According to the robbers, mo,t ""ident, clo,e their curtain,

have more time to flee or to overpow.r them be fore they got to a fi ... rm.

o nly when they go to be d. A, on e e"l'lained: We wa n t to catch th e victim, while

The robbe rs .ometime, adapted the pr.f.ffed time o f the robbery according to

they are ,ti ll awake. If they are uleep, the hou,e i, darlc and we. can't ,ee them:

c ircum,tance •. For example on . robber would knock on doors during t he day pr. ·

The robbers furthe r e xplained that betwee n 7pm and wpm th e neighbours are u,u -

t e nding to be looking for . 'piece job', and t hen commit. robbery ••• oon as tho

. lly bu,y in t heir own homes a nd will not e asily he ar a bruk·in happening next

opportunity present.d itse lf. Another know from hi, .urvei llance t hat o n Saturday
nce .0

gener;dly allhe ba ck of Ihe hou.e. To limil th e noi.e, Ihe.e robbe" .. pl ~ined Ih.t betl~f

Ih ~ n

kn ife.

Anolh o< w~y, u.ed by 27 p~rc~nl o f Ihe robbe"" w~. 10 bf~.k a window, .1.0

it '"'''

Shifting Ihe tile. on the roof,

in.id~

roule. A• • tip fOf

~

hou. ~­

o f . doof make. it e• • ief

from th e fl ying doof. H iding in

th ~

g",d en .nd O"",fJ>O_fing a victim enlefing Of luving Ihe

hou . ~.

One fupond enl had fOf him when

h~

b ~ friended th ~ victim

knock..d.

a nd .he

th~", fof~

opened In e doof

The robber> u,ed

v~riou,

typ'" of equipm ent when b",aking in. Among thue pip ~', I~rge wrench~"

crowbar>, iron ba .. (kCCYO,

this

pock.. -kn"'e., and garden tool, .uc h u ,hovel,. Although

equipm ~nt

th~ m,

wit h

being noliced in the

u,~

most p",ferred 10

rHid ~ nlia l

a",. with

1001. found

v~riou.

1001.

,om~

brought

likely 10

.ince

~rou,e

hou,~

If they believed a w~y

put it, the aim i, to 'Iu,"" nothing of you .. elf.t

Top of th ~ Ii,t in this robb~f>

26

of forcing an

~n try,

to be a good pro'p oet, the robbe .. said t hey would find

irrul"'ctive of t he ,ibilily of ,ubduin, Ih, mal, hood of

"lloCQUi"". He desuibe4 hi, motto a,

v~im,

lluo rupondonl would ,haul

a"d ul! rh. viiII. I >IIoo~

A}Ur ""o'P"",orin, rh.

T~e robbe ~

up his ha"d, andfori. from expon,n"" Ih, U'P0"do",/rod I""m,rh",

'if you

do no"und.nt> hid kill.d. p.rson at .ome poinl du,in,lhei, ",iminll u ...... The yH:t,m. w!10 were .... u~ed were .llppeed thei. vktim.l0 I pi.ce offumitu ... s uch n a bed.

Twenty-five ... pondents th.ellened th." .. ct,ms w"h I _Ipon w!1ile aofTyinB

min th.lq;.o n

One robbe. up/l,ned 'hll .... "it'''1 one ofthe victim •• e~ the pu.po •• of

0'" th.i. vert..1 intomidltoon . Twenty poonled I fi,........ while five th•• ltonen . Imonl ... hlch "".... kn,fe, In .... I .h"",,1 Ind I

r•• pond.nt. usa"I""1

huYJ ..... nch . N,n.t ...... espond.nts ","ul,ed Ih" .. vict,m.; four to ..... el. A struggl. en,ued, whieercent)

m~d~

.u .. that they quickly di.po«d of any

it~m.

that

th.t cou ld

bor~ .~ri.1

po.itiv ~ly

link

th~m

to

th~ crim~.

numbe", .uch u app liancn,

They did not want

th~

any good. th.t cou ld

ri.k

ofb~ ing

b ~ ".~d

"'

linked to

~vid e n ce.

Thi. a pplied m.in ly to good.

~r ~. 'm., v ~hicJ ~.

th ~ robb~ ry

and

c~1 1

phon ...

by being in po"... ion of

For thi. reuon they

only " . aling c •• Mor ite m. t hat could be di.po.ed o f q"ickly.

Th~y

mad~

a point of

avoided

wall~t.,

pu"u a nd credit card., al l of which "."a lly ca rT)' p~"onal detail. of the victim and cou ld be t raced back to Imm~diate ly

aft.,

tM~

th~

robbe ry.

robbe ry, mo.t

dr.w atte ntion away from him. The robbers u."ally wiped th eir fingerprint. off .tole n .pirit., and t here.fter only

Mid

th~ .tol~n

good •.

Som~­

with methylated

the .tolen ite m. whe n wearing glovu (they

avoided u.ing g lov.. at the crime « e n e - they ..id thi. wuld arou . . . u.picion if th ey happened to be ... rched by th e police before or after th e robbe ry). Seria l numbe" were ground off .tole n ~rearm. '" that e ven if the robbers were found with

re.pond~nb

handl~d

it~m.

~re.,m.

in their pone"ion, the police would be unable to link th ..e to

th e robbery. Stole n cell phon .. wo" ld be t.ken to • technica lly .killed person who

tim .. th e good. were hidd e n out of doo" in bu.h .. crap y.rd to have their .. tellite tracking 'Y'tem.

aw.y from the «en e, you ore .way for good. On ly .teal good. that will .. II q"ickly.

removed. On e robber dumped a .tole n ""hicle in •• tr..,t with the ke Y' .till in the

If you are not found in po ..."ion of the .tole n good., there i. b•• ically no c..e

ignition. He a""med that young criminal. would quickly .tea l the ""hicle, and

.g.in.t YO".'

Sixty-five p..«nt ofth. "'... h stol.n (or cuh ruli ..d from « lling ,tol.n good,) wa,

'~nt

on non-.. senti~1

~ctivitie • .

Only 3, pe",ent w.nt to it.m, or . ctiviti..

that could be called e .. ential: improving living ,tand.rd •.

f~mi ly

Consort with wom.n Give money to family

,upport, or basics Buy food

like el.ctricity. w~t ... coo l ~nd food. Th. nin e '"'f'Ond.nts...mo w..e e mplo)'1'd at th e tim. th .nd one fOt.oted hi, _.pon

made him ',hinc·. i.c . • Iand out ,n a crowd

omonS othc. eftm,nal.

Con.id •• in, thlt .ome ViCbm. we.e k,lIed Ind 1.... liv.. of both victim. and robbe .. put in jeopa.dy. il i. ",n,fieanllhll

~

p.,ccnl of th. expenditure from the

hom~.

on"

t h~

hi ...... y

Of tho.e -.mo bpI the" fi ..... m •. , h. m...,.ity lcept them on their pcBon. hidden ,n Ihe" own ho" ••• aft., ,h •• obbery. Within .hei. hou ••• the hiding

Of

pl.lnel ·beating .hop, or to foreign national. who would take them to

neighbo~ring

,tate.

Th. I.. t two kept th . vehicl .., or plann . d to k.., p them, unti l they could

Mo,t of the ve hicl e •• bandoned after the robbery had bun Y,ed (or we re in ·

~nd

,uit·

.ble buy . ...

t e nded to be Y,e d) a. ge t.-ow.y ve hic les. One re.pond e nt wu p lanning to ,ell the

Once they had offio.ded the loot nom the robbery, the robbe .. u.u. lly parked

ve hicl e, but changed hi, mind bKau,. hi. accomp lice. had r.p.d a victim at the

th e ,tol.n ve hic le in •• p ot ....... y from th. ir home unti l it could be di.posed of. Var·

.cen • . H e believ.d the rap.

wo~ ld

GOu.e the police to inve.tigate the ca,e more

iou. p.rking p lace, included: in th e .tre. t, in the p .rking basement of a block of

inten.ively, so h • • bandon. d th e v. hicl • • ft.. off-Io.ding the , tolen good •• t hi.

flats, at or near . petrol .tation, a t a t.vern ne .. the robb ..', hou.e,.t a ho,te l, and

hou,e. Another re'pond e nt u,ed th e ,tol.n ve hic le for two more armed robberie,

.t a fi-iend'. house. Th e finding. of a previou, ,tudy I did on motor ""hicle hijack·

on the .. me day. He and hi. accomplice. we re involved in.n accid e nt in the v. hi -

ing r ..... led among oth.. t h ings the fact that mo,t v. hicl .. . re comp let.ly 'alt ..ed'

cle wh. n the po lic. chased th e m.

or 'mad e o""r' by .yndicat.. wit hin . ight hou .. of b. ing ,to le n (Thi. information

Ofthe 14 who ,tole (or p lann . d to ,te al ) a ""hicle during th e robbery, two wore

is ava ilable in th . rese.rch report on motor vehicl. hijacking.)

a rre.ted whi le driving the .to le n v. hic le. On e k. pt the vehicle for hi, own u.e .fter changing the numb .. plate •. Five di.p o.ed of (or p lanned to di,po,. of) th • • tolen

S haring t he loot

v. hicl e wit hin an hour of the robbery, and on e within thr.., hou ... Two oth . .. di.-

All but two ofth . 2) re'pondents who rK. ived information prior to committing the

po,ed of the .to len ""hicl. within a day and two days rupecti""ly. On. exp laine d

robbery compensated their informers. Of the two who did not do '0, on e said he

th.t h • • nd hi, accomplice, wa nted to get rid of the .tolen ve hic le a. ,oon they

did not pay hi. inform .., a dome,tic work.., beca u.e h e did not tru.t h.., and wa,

cou ld in case it wa,

~tted

with . tracking d evice that cou ld le.d the po lice to them.

. fra id that p.ying her would Iud him into. trap. The other did not know wheth ..

Ihe informer Fo~rtun "'I~olly

h~d

.ince

been compensaled .

re.pondents who

p~id

their informe"

betw ... n them.elve. and aU accomplices.

.h~red

incl~dinl

the

vol~.

of Ihe 1001

the informer. Two reo

• pondenlS .aid th.,- .hared Ihe loot "'I"ally wolh 'nform... only if Ihe informer porti lettinl them

compensated Ih";r inform... in the followinlwoy,:

Two who had both commltled the" ,obbe" .Ione.

s~'"'

Iheir inlOrmer. ~ per·

cenLile of the yal... of the loot: )0 percent in one

t.II~

and 25 pe hav~

com e from, he .. cogni,ed

m e nt. He ca lled the police who

on~

of

,ub,~quent l y

th~

robber> wa lking . Iong the pove·

.. re ,ted the

,u , ~ct.

Thi. was a few

d a y• • ft.. the hou,e robbef)'. Thr.., was

re,pondent'~ . . . rr .. ted

arr~ 'ted

when

n ~ighbour>

during or immediate ly after

th~

robberi ... One

saw th e robbef)' in prog .. " and phone d the police.

Anoth .. was arre,led at the crime sce ne when a victim, who had not

b~en pro~rIy

",.rc hed, phone d Ihe police on her cell phone whi'" ,he wa , detaine d in • locke d room. A third wu

hou,~

b ~gan

Ihe .. me day, and

walking pa,t, hurd

might

th ~ hou ,~ robb ~f)'

tum ~ d aro~nd

de with the Highway Pa trol Unit

b ~in g

hou,~

hi.

they lived. One of th ~ accomplice, took th e .tolen

th e robbe",

~'"

arre'l~d

when t he own er of th e hou,e arrived

~nexpectedlywhile

in.ide, a nd exc hanged gun,hot. with the re'pond e nt a nd hi,

a ccomplic~ . _

Two o f

th e robbery, wa, ,e.n along with hi, accomplice, running from the

th~

noi,~ m.d~

robbe " =r
thout a prop< r qua lific ation. thOnd.nt. continu.d to commit crim.

mal .tudi .. than the incorcera t.d motor .. hide hijach'" with whom I conduct.d

",. n though thoy h.d a!rudy . a rn.d larg. amount. of mon.y. Furth ....... rch i.

",... rch four yea" .arliu

n..d.d to ""plo,. why robl>'

g enu~1

.t1,tud( WI' tb.t th( o liel: d" n1 h,u: the ca".b,rtDl!

"" ourc(, to trace th e m or conneg Ih e m 10 p"l j, u lar crjme, If w: look ill l h( ea el> re.pondent c become involved in crime i, extremely a larming. Criminological re,urd. has found that Ih e younge r 0 criminal i. whe n

he/~he ~r>t

become. in-

volved in crime, the more viole nllh ey become when t hey arc . dult crim in a l.. It i.

Al.o , ignika nt i. the h ig h number o f burglarie. (breaking into .. hou.e whe n Ih e occupants arc nol hom e ) in

whic~

the 5e rob be ..

~ad

been involve d: a tota l of

a l,o an e ,tobli. hed fact that th e longe r criminal. opcrate freely, the more vio le nt th ey become .. they 'progres>' to more ,eriou. crim e.

1202, or 40 burglari", p er pef>on. l4llJ On e can condude th.t hou.e robber> Ofe

Young crimina l, who get a way with crim e i. on e of Ih e fa ctor> cau.ing the high

experie nce d burgla" who have prgre»ed to hou .. robbe ry. A•• uch, th ey a re very

numbe .. o f . e riou. violent aim e in Soulh Africa ond explain, why we ha ve a re lo-

know ledgea b le about gaining entry 10 hou.e •.

lively h ighe r number o f violenl aiminal. than othe! countrie •. T he tendency to ·

The inle rview.

con~rmed

that the re was a d e ar t rend of progre »ion from

crim .. of le»e r viole nce , .urn a. theft and burglary, to more violent aim .. like

ward. violent crime, combin ed wilh communili", that lolerote criminal., e ncou!· .g.. lhe d evelopm e nl of 0 .ub- explained thot in thi5 way they

Thi. doc. not .pcll .ny good for the future of t he country . . far .. crime i. con -

. cquired and m .. tered more expcrti.e a nd '.kill. ', .urn a, how to circumve nl or

c e rned. The .iluation w ill a l.o be ve ry diffi cu lt to tum around. We will have to im ·

di ... b le al arm ,)"tem. or bre ak into hou, .. with a, little noi.e . . pos>ible. Th e

prove not on ly th e e ffec t ivene .. of Ih e p o lice bul a l50 run programme. tha t

Iddren the

vII~n

of society. There i. I SlyinS in polic. circles thlt I

c~ntry

de·

serves the police service they hive BOt. If we wlnt to in,i.t on • better police .er· vice we fiB' need.o ch.nse

o~,

society.

i. flirly hiSh. t>KIUse

v.I~.ble

item •• uch .. eledricol I pplilnces ue rel.tively

bulky to move .• nd this inc",as.. the chlnce !>f beins n!>ticed.

H G~.e

sive bette, I«e.. to Bood. thl' I,e .mllle,. mo,e portlble.• nd mGre

robberies vol~lble

_

mlinly cish. jewellery Ind hlndBuns . Beside. belnB con.plCUou, Ind bulky. the items ••olen in I typic.ol burll.ry The ,obbe ... interv'ewed c"".ide,ed ....... e robbe .... to be mo,e lucrotive thin ei ·

Couch .. ele-ctricollpplilnce.) 11.0 hi .... to .oId before they con be .urned into

the, bu,,,.ry or the theft 0< h'JICir:rnl of moto, "..h,d... They 11""". totol of 49 rei'

co.sh. ThIS

son. for chaos,nl house robbery , .. M, thin other types of cnme_ The mojority of

puter you sull hi .... to 10 Inother m,le bef"o.. the computer ...old ond yo~ o.ctu.11y

the.e ",..ons

011

delive~ '~wdr"

,el.ted to the fact dll' hou.e ,obbenes we,e mo,e luuotive.nd

WI.

seen

IS

I tUme, n.1, unemployment and financial pre.. ur .. were the bigge.t foctors b e hind their crimin a lJty.

qua l i~od

Tw. nty-~ve

o f the thirty r. . pond.nt> adnowl·

.dged that money was the reason for th e ir involve m . nt in house robberies. However, individu al motivating re ..ons .. 10 why the mone y w.. nee ded di ff..

what he

co~ l d

thro~gh

e arn by doing 'piKe iob.' (c.uuo ll abour).

Anoth e r mon, 01= from Mozambiqu., .. id th.t hi. e mplo)"'r e. p loitod him bKau.e he w.. on il le ga l immigrant. H. claim.d t hat he w.u pa id only a fifth of the wa ge. paid to hi. South African

co-worke~

and that h e w.. t .. atod

• ub. t.;onti.lly. These range from hung .. to a d e.ire for luxuri e. or status ( .. one re·

' Ii"" a . 10""'.

.ponde nl put it, h e n ..,d e d money to be able 10 d .... nice ly so thai people would

One robber cloim e d that mo.t criminal. do not like what th.y ore doing but

nol see he wa. poor).

a .. 'forcod' by circum.lance •. In hi. ca50 hi. family ond hi. girlfrie nd hod put

prenure on him to

e~m

were unwilling to .upply him.

on income

Five r''' f>Ondents wanted money to help support their bmili... Two of the m

TWin,, secunty I"ord of h..

~,unn):

robbfty wrth """,... 6"1 ciKum .... ncu

(Irmed robbery, molor ""hod. "'lldm&); th.ft (common t heft; theft o f mono
di .nd

bery suspects

Th ••"'ended cr'me h,story of the robberS in thi •• Iudy .how> thlt wlren in""s.i-

pro~les

nece.nrily b. known to Ih. po lic. , giv.n Ih. facl th.1 Ih. m.jority of Ih.

ho~ ..

robb.rs inl.rvi .....ed (60 p.. «nl) did n ol have .ny pr

~nd d,~w

on crim . information. Thi'

private organi • • tion. t hat contribute to

includ~. pfOgramm ~. programm~.

p l ~ g ~tting crim~

involved in

of

.to l ~ n

addr~ ..

",cio - ~ conomic

to add ....

or buy

dang~",

al .chool ~~I to

crim ~;

and

why

I ~arn ~'"

and

involv~d

in

crim~;

a nd olh .. condition. whic h Iud to poo -

pfOgramm ~ .

~du cat~ p~opl~

to

good._ School. can be vi.iled 10

p~~r pr~ .. ur~

got

n~gativ~ rol~ mod ~I •.

ed ucat ~

and

po lic~

not to ,upf>Ort

child .. n about can e xplain 10

th~

Ih ~m

Most im f>Ortan tly. a ccura te and .. I iab l~ bett~r

crim~ inl~lI ig~nce

inform the pub lic on how 10 minimi ..

b ~rs_ Hou.~hold ~",

fOnJm. and other

farm~'"

and

.trucWr~ •.

in fo rmalion about

th~ir

.hould

b~

th ~

ri.k of falling

can hel p t he police pr~y

10 hou .. rob-

informed. Ihrough community policing

t hat Ih.,. .hould not

giv~ ~mploy~~.

or

hou.. hold . e curity mea.u ... or a llow

acqua intanc~.

th~m

to

com ~

Ih ~ con "fIlllned Ihot dunng I robbery.he .obbers will do .lmo.1

die . , Rob"',. " .. _Joys ""C'l' for monOf-

YDOIr m""Of

0('

"",puff

is _""" ""mporod '" ,..,.., lifo.'

not wilh !.owv;olence hi< ~rea rm.t. victim, the first requirement, according to a ll the robbers, i. for the victim to remain . t ill and immediately obey. Twenty-seven percent of th e robbers .aid they d e mand that the victim. raise their hands without making any sudd en movement - induding reaching (or appearing to reach) fo r a weapon or panic button - and keep their h a nds where they can be see n. five .aid th ey preferred the victim to freeze in the po.ition in which they were first encoun t ered.

Tim e i. also a crit ica l factor. There is a dirKt correlation between the length of tim e th e robbers spent in a house and t he chances of s.,iou. atrocities, .uch as

Ma ki ng no n oi",,: According to the robbers, it i. importa nt for t he victim to remain

raf>", being committed. The respondents e xplain.d that immediate co-op e ration

calm and not to .cream or make a noi.e. The majority of house robberi« (70 per-

help. to .n.u", tI1.t the robbers get th e job done quickly a nd leave a. soon as

c ent in this study) toke pla ce when people are at hom. a nd awa ke, and neighbours

.re . 1.0 at

~om e

and

co~ ld

ca ll

t~e

police .

lengths to e n.ure t hat a robbery take. p lace

Ho~u

wit~

robbers

t~e

go to great

.. little noi.e u ponible, whdher

cau.e d by them.dvn or by th e victim •. One re'pond e nt ins. 'if

t~erefo ,.

emp~a.i.ed

this by uy·

victim rna loo. noiu. the hou,e robbers becom e .eriou. and will kill the

Eye contact .nd .urchin!!:: It i.

'isni~cant

that nine of the 30 robbers interviewed

in'tructed their victim. not to make "1" contact wit h th em . They to ld t hei r victim, to 'sle e p' (lie down) and not look at t hem e""n while they th e robbers

u.rc~ e d

we,. b eing

souched. All

t heir victims. Th ey expected the victim to ,.m.in .ti ll during

th e ' . . rc~ and to look away from th em ifin.tructed to do '0.

victim'. Self-.:ontrol: T he r.,pond e nt. . . id hou,e robbe rs expect th e victim to exerc ise maximum u lf·control. For t hem t hi' m e ant: ,.maining ,till in th e .. me po.ition os th oy we,.

~"t

confronted; immediately ,ur,.ndering and not mak ing any ,udden

movement, ; and Iooe ping quid. Th oy expect th e victim to be ,till while beins uarc hed and to .peak only when an,wering a qu est ion. VIctim, mu,t n ot try to

t~e

c h ances of a victim not being harmed. A fem a le victim

in on e robbery manage d to escape by ,.m aining calm .nd convincing dent that .he wo~ld not try to esCllpe. When a,ked him to untie

~ er

where the key, to t he ..fe we,. Ioopt; or where valuable item ., .,pecially cash.

we,.

ke pt; or that one o f the victim. a ccompany t hem to point these p lacn out to t h em. Victim. s hou ld revea l .11 place , where valu a b l., are kept without exce ption: t he 'ingle biu.,t ,.a,on gi""n for a".uiting or torturing victim, was to get them to

'pe ak to otf,er victim., .,pecially cove rtly. Self-.control improves

Pointing out o f v.luabl",: Nine of the robbers d e manded t h.t tf,e victim, tel l them

t~e

t~e

" 'pon ·

r"pondent wanted to "'pe h er ,he

feet. which gave her the opportunity to escape u the ,.-

,ponde nt h.d dropped hi, pants and was unable to run after her.

point out all hiding places. One of th e robbers. however, ..id he tortu,.d all hi. victim •. irrespective of whether they co-operated or not. '0 a, to e n,ure t ha t t h ey ,."". Ied a ll pl. ces where ca ,h was kept. In another

q~estion

rt 01,0 becam e evide nt

th.t t he r"pond ent, became angry with victim. who did not co-opera ... It i. t h u, ."enti.1 for victim,' .afety t hat t hoy di.close where .1 1v.lu.b l. , a ,. ke pt.

Oth= con sid .... ation. ,ai'M by t~~ Acco,ding to hou.~

on ~ robb~"

t~nd

alcohol and drug.

mak~ th~

to

behaviou, o f a

robbe, irrationa l and mo" vio lent. He soid that victim. would und .,

the.e ci,cum.tance, d ~n t

Ih~y

~ou,~ robb~rs :

expl.inM that

b~

inju'M,

ine.~cti""

wh~n ,obb ~~

of what t hey do.

At1oth~,

, e 'pon -

appu, to act in .. n ~, they are u,ualfy

und ~ ,

the influence of on~ 0' othe , .ub.tance a nd will e asify ki ll while in th.t .tat~. A vi ctim .hould h~ lik~.,

p l ~ad

a nd that

h~

fo, hi./he,

li f~, telllh ~ robb~,

.hould nol inju,e any of

victim. to le ll the hou.e

robb ~,

Ihal they a,e

t~ ~

thai

~~

lak~

can

anything

victim •. II i•• dvi ... ble fo,

.c.;o,~d

and confirm this IhfOugh

thei' action,. If a victim

do~.

nol

co-~,a t~,

it c",ates

th ~

imp,ession that

cau. ~ . th ~ fObb ~ ,

10

becom~

th ~

,.,pond~nl

.ince fObbe", One

10 continu ~ 10 be .. Ieep'.

advi.ed thai a victim .hou ld be 'friendly' towa,d. fObbers

a, ~ 'd.ng~rou,'.

",.pond~nl,

"fening 10 fObbers as animal., nid :

Ihe anim. 1 n..,d,. If you do not

co-op ~ ,"I~

tn ~

hou .. to poinl out valua b le.,

even mo,e ag-

th ~

victim .hou ld

a bal.dava

h~

Th~

hi m.e l f/h~fSe lf

victim

wiliinin ' you wanllo

dang ~fOu,' (som~

In my

urli~,

he thinks you are fighting 0' p lan-

mu.1

id~ntify

o~n

him.'

Ihe .. f~

... fos .,e e quipped with

.Iudy on hijading. one of Ihe

a victim and hi. as .. ilanl in a

victim and a fObbe, i•• imi lu 10 wh~n a 0' clolh . The dog

Ih ~ fObb~ ~.

hou,e fObbef< b,uk in

whil~ Ih~

victim.

a , ~ .I e~ ping,

i. wh.t

ning to do ,om e thing to .top him. If you look 01. fObbe, Ihal i. not "",a,ing

b~tw~~n

While w a lking thfOugh

'Co-o~,ation

.inc~ ',om~

.il ~nt

. I.,m.,

"'~ v~ry

.afe,

~pp ~'

'p'"y

d~­

b ~ d ~ a ctiv.l~d).

victim i.

g"' .. 'v~.

Wh~n

One

'p'id~

v~hicJ~ .fTiv~,.

Thrsr

yard to go .bout their

~ nt~ rta ining gu ~ ,t,.

ev~n

if thr

robbers can h id e behind thrm and ambu,h

hap~n

whrn high srcurity

m.~'

a house im -

p~ netrablr.

Dogs: Th ~ robbers in .. rvirw~d

rr,id~nts ar~

~gr~ed

that noisr i,

t h~

biggr,t deterrrnt., it .I ert,

nol on ly the r.. id~nts but a l,o n eighbours a nd passers-by. For thi' ....on doss ar~

a vrry important dete rrrnt, wh.tevrr othrr ,ecurity me.sure, arr in

During the

,oeurity gat .. in front of . 11 -

,hould not be

p~op lr entoring or le aving. Thi, i, particularly im p ortant, as a n a mbush ne ar

to

p. ss~rs -by.

k~ pt l oc~d

hou , ~

beforr thr

what i, going on

if an armrd " 'pon ..

by

~nc ~,

hou .. , ,hou ld

robb ~rs

robbrr:< once in,idr

noti c~d

,oeurity

alw a~

an rntrancr i, mo .. likrly to

=mpl~

~I,o enab l~

bu,inrss wJthout being Th e

or

p l~nted

a nd thu, too

f~nce.

robbery. It a l,o makrs it difficu lt for

howevrr,

a, they un

view

[).,n,. bu,h .., ,hrub" or p lants t h.t cou ld screen the

frncr with

that cannot be ,een through, for e""mplr a brick w~lI,

during thr robbery, for

op~n

t hrre.

it difficult for hou .. robber:< to obsrrvr the housr from

f~ncr',

robb~rs,

Woly' ur,

not being pubhh ..d hrrr).

razor ribbon and 'pi k.. on top. Raz or ribbon i, ""ry un,tablr for a n

"hou"" t ha t i, in

,m.ller

do~

in trrvi~

pl~cr.

Jt boeam e dr.r that the rob be" con.ide",d a number of

krp! in.id. thr hou,r to be an rsprci.11y

r~c!ive det~rrrnt.

In t heir

' 'Porienee, ,m. ller dog, werr very sen,ili"" to unu,ua l ,ound, and a rr quick to . Ie rt thrir own ers by barking continuou, ly if t hey hear ,om ething ,uspiciou,.

According to

th~ '~'J>Ondent. , th~

bigg~.t d~t~rr e nt.

crime

5C ~ n. ) .

to

pos.ib le

th~ir e nt~ring

a

p,.""nc~

hou.~

Thi. a l.o coincid ., wit h my

of .m ~1 1 dog. WoJ. on e of th ~

(or a ,..,on for

0Wf1

th~m

to

fl~~

from a

oxp.,i.nco wh.n I w.,. J>Olico oRi-

House own", vi~ilance: The re.id ent, of . hou "" ,hould be ,oeu.ity conscious and vigi l.nt, and . hou ld not ,.Iy on th eir ""curJty technology to do t his for the m. Exp l. ining thi. J>Oint,

on~

robbor .. id: 'Be alway, awa"'" in )'Our

hou,~

bec.ous< )'Ou.

ci . 1 and n.odod to go to 0 hou"" at night to .tte nd to. complaint o. an . m e rg.ncy

trouble can come at ony tim.'. Anoth., said t h at ""id.nl< ,hould not leave door>

,ituat;on.

or ,ecu.ity gate, un locked, and kee p a loo kout for .uspiciou, ·looking f) o. e.ting food thrown ove. a fe nce.

loded awoy. A hou se ,hou ld b e prope. 1y secured with secu.ity gat., and burglar ba" but

the ",sid ents should

h~ve

an escape rou te fOf t hemselves if th ey a", com e",d

inside the house. 'A house ~ I one is ~Iways. victim: tf t he robbers know no one is at home it is

e",ier to get acce ss to the hou.e Of yord and ove'l'owef the fesid ents upon

I""pectiv. of wh.t se cufity devices a re in plac e, re.ident. shou ld remain vigilant at .1I tim ... House rob be" tend to take a dva ntage of times Of situations wh.n ",sidents lower th eif guafd, fOf example when enterta ining guests. Two o f t he robbe" said peopl. shou ld avoid displaying theif wealth. Ac cofd · ing to one, a ffl uent people should demonstrate 'a b . ,ic' lif.. tyle by not dfiving e"Pen.ive vehid . . and not living in 'A.shy' house • . This respondent went cI~im

an d in fuf me fS: Since in mo.t coses of hou se robbe')' on 'inside' in-

fOfmer hu provided infofmation, resid ents s hou ld c h eck t he credentials , e mployment histo,), and referenc .. of any p e"on they intend to em p loy. The emp lo yef

theif rewm.

on to

E m pl~

t hat t he fe", on that b lack peopl•• '" increa.ingly becoming the

tafgets of hou se robbery i.

th~t

they afe b eginning to 'Anh' mon ey. Simi la rly,

.ome ",spondents said people .hou ld not we" exce ..ive Of .. pen.ive jew· .l lery in publi c. On e o f t he robbe" claimed t h at he a nd his a ccomplices looked fOf people displaying

~re Of m .

Of j . -Ilery when .. . rching in public

mu.t obtain and keep fu ll contact details,

~

pe"on~ 1

details of employe.., indudins add",ss and

copy of t he p e"on's identity document, and t h e address .. of

relativ ... A good e mployer·emplo yee ",Iationship is very important: u

one fe . ponde nt

put it employe" 'mu.t ""pect othe" to becom e re.pected'. Em p loy ... . hould be regi>tered and remunerated ac cording to accepted labouf low "'gulation •. The em · p loyer .hou ld prevent srtuation. that mi,ht le.d to a gflJdge against the occup.nts ofthe hou se. Emp loye" should not aHow em p loyees to know how t he .ecunty .y.te m. a t the house con be cifcumve n ted Of disabled, Of leave infofm.tion about this accessible to being di,covered. NOf .hould an em p loyee become a wue of la .-ge .um. of

money kept in

t~e ~ouse .

'",c.. t' p lace wh.,e they

One rupond e nt sugge sted th.t re. id e nts sMou ld have.

Reg.rding gu.rds or ..curity patro ls, on o re.pondent >aid th.t only intonsiv.

money, • p lace that cou ld not be discov.,ed by a

and regu l.r patrols wou ld serve to del., robbe", but only if theyw.,e carrie d out.t

~ide

domestic W are armed .nd willing to u>e

th~ir

victim that .. sist>. It is better not to light criminal. ""i le house as

th~ sc.I~.

are

h ~avily

b ~tt ..

.on a ble chance. Naturally it rem.in. a th ~ Ii~t

und ~ r

weapon. again.t a

th~ ar~ insid~

tipped in their favour. If you do

this .hould be a w ~ lI - con.id ~ .. d .. . ction

house in

r~.i.t

your

or light b.ck

circum.tances that .l low you. rea-

opt ion to k..,p

robb~"

out of your

p lace

h.v ~

c ~rated

.ddition a l house

b~

detained or .... ulted (or tortu .. d .nd

.ugg ~ .tion.

robbe~

th.t follow are based on

and on my

v:p~ri~nce

Homeown . . . . hould in.t.1I an

int~ rna l

.. a

a

degr~ ~

a nd limit

th~ tim ~ th~y .~nd

h.s been

trigg~ red

ra~d).

t h ~ int ~ ",iew .

with Incar-

form ~r polic ~ d~tectiv~.

>ecurity door, normally in • p .... g~,

""ich block. off acc~ .. to th e b. droom .ection of t he hou.e at night. Th e a larm in

th e . Iarm would . 1.0 prevent th e householder from being overl>owered by

rupond ~ nt>,

.I.rm

of d~terf~ n c~ . For one thing,

in.ide

or an armed

by

th~

hou.e to a minimum

respon.~

unit might

b~

.)'St~m. robb~~ if th~

and . rmed

norm. lly try

robb. ~

wailing in.ide the house when he or .h . un locks th e .ecurity door in the p. ... g~ in Ih e morning. Residents .hou ld note that house robberies tend to occur mo.t ff. qu. nlly .fter th e occupants are.lI .t hom . in the evening, but b. fore

th~

tim . window. in unoccupied room. mu.t be k. pt closed,

D~ .pit~ th~ r~s~rv.tion. v:press~ d

re.ponse unit. do

Th ~

cou ld

th e re.t of the hou"" .hould b • • ctivat~d .t night to w.rn of any intruder. Activating

of . ction a. fa.t .. po .. ible. Furth~ rmore

tim ~ r~ .id~nt.

go 10 bed. During this

es~ci.11y

in the kitchen

and in bedroom. that are furthest from the living . ..... Th. p .. -wa rning .y.tem. .urfounding the house .hould .1.0 be armed during th . .. time •.

think . n . Iarm

Curlain. throughout the hou.e .hould b. drawn after nightf. 1I to prevenl rob·

th~

b . .. from observing re.id . nt.' move m . nt •. II i. important to not. tha t the majority

on its w.y. Thi. limit>

of the robbe r>

g~ined

entronce by

~"t

observing through the

windo~

whe re the

resid . nts were in th e house , and the n forcing apart the burglar ba", of a n open

door without activating the alarm. Trap .witches wi ll not stop robbe", from . ntering t he house, but t hey will at I. a.t he lp to sc are th . m off once they start searching the hou.e. Thi. wi ll limit the

window fu rthe st away from wh e re the residents _re bu»'. Whi l. house ho lde", are still moving around in t heir house (before going to bed

tim e they wi ll be a ble to spend in.ide th e house; induding tim •• p e nt detaining

or during the da y) they .hou ld con.id e r activoting the alarm to cover occes. doo ..

and abu.ing th e victim •. Th ..e switches can . 1"" a .. ist in overcoming the current

to th e house as w.1I as room., such a s th e pa ntry or spare bedroom., which are

.hortcoming. in a 'arm .yste m . , which are .uch tha t, once ... idents have bee n

not regularfy in use. This might se rve as a trap if robb. ", open a door or bre ak into

overpowere d they cannot activate any a larm .witch .

a n unoccupie d room. Anoth .. kind of trap i. to place a trigge r pad linke d to an

A furthe r shortcoming in mo.t alarm .yste m. i. that their electronic motion

al arm .yste m under a carpet. The trigge r pad can b. le ft a ctivated even when the

detectors a .. not designe d to be used in ceiling. because of th e high temperature,

rest of the al arm .ystem i•• witched off.

th ..e . The manufacturers of . Iectronic .Iarm. n e ed to design a reli.ble motion

Anoth .. trap-type safeguard i. to link a contact-breaker .witch to the panic bu t· ton a lert .y.tem on the a larm control box. This .witch can b.

~tted

to the back of a

d",w .., or to the back of a cupboa rd door, or s.fe door. Once th e robber ope n. th e d",w .. or door, the panic button facility on the . I.. m system wi ll be activated, . ith .. via a .iren or via a .i l. nt

~ Ia rm .ign~ 1

to th e control room. Thi . . .feguard will

nee d a bypa .. switch to al low t he resid . nt. of the house to open th e dr._r or

detector that can be in.talled in the cei ling of a house to detect intruders breaking in via t he roof. As. the int. rviews have .hown, house robb. " will sometim.. bruk into a house

wh e n nobody i. at hom e .nd wa it in.id . until t he own .. relurn •. Thu. on returning hom. , reside nts .hou ld always ch. ck for any sign o f forced e ntry befo .. un locking any doo", or even entering th e garage. Thi. i. . .peci~lfy important if .omething

seem s out of th e ordina ry; for example. if p e" that usua lly gree t the own e r are nol th .,e or re.pond strangely. or if cur!;oins are not in their original position. If the house is equipped wit h an alarm system. th e sY'te m .hould trigge r a

on why. for =mp le. the dog, may be barking. II i, essenlia l nol to go oul of Ih. house to find oul why an a larm was trigge red. e.peci.lly on secluded p",mise,. for .... mple. a farm. Even in lown Ih . re.id .n"

warning light. The ""-ming light should be in clear view so that when the OWl1 e rs

shou ld wail unti l . re ' p onse unit ha, anived !>efo", ve nturing oUhide. It ha, be -

appro.ch the house they willicnow that t he .Iarm has !>ee n a ctwated during their

com e common practice fo r robbers to ove rpowe r Ihe resid enl when they v.nl ure

a bsence. However. own er> .hould not rely .olely on the warning light. ,ince intrud -

outside 10 inspecl why Ih •• Iarm was trigge red or why Ihe dogs .re barking. 11 i,

ers can deactivate a worning light if Ihey are wel l informed. II i, thus .lways a good

. 1,0 advisable for farm e rs .nd occupa nts of olher se c luded premise. 10 arrange

practice 10

~rsl

walk a round the hou,e to check for a ny unu.ua l signs. If ,ome-

Ihing arou,e , suspicion Ihe ",sidenl, .hould coli th e police or a ,ecurity company a nd .. k them 10 enler the house

~rsl.

with neighbours to , erve os. ",. ction unil when an .Iarm is trigge red or when Ih ey ,u'pecl there i, an inlruder. Own e rs .hou ld know Ihal. CCTV cam .,. can !>e ·lryp.... d· by sticking gum or

CCTV "Y,lems h.ve !>ecome more affordable. The,e ,hou ld b e in.talled if pos-

lape on the lens before a robbery .0 .. to di.tort Ihe picture. Thi. preve nts the

sible on the oUhid e o f the hou,e. e'peci.11y on farms and ,mallholding' where the

hou,e rob!>ers ITom !>eing detecled when th ey e nler Ih e p remis es and from being

reaction lim. of the police or a ,ecurity company mighl !>e .Iow. If th e . Iarm or

id.nti~ed

101., on.

pre-w.rning 'ysle m i. Irigge red while Ihe re ,id.nts are in.ide th e hou,e. the CCTV

A new tre nd se.m, 10 be for robb. rs to larget houses where ,0ci.1 function, or

carn e r.. con b e used 10 det.ctlhe cou ... Ihu. saving Ihe owner from having to go

p. rtie, are under way. Deci.ion, Iry rob!>ers 10 target a party a", probably the resull

oulside to det.,min. Ihe cau,e of l he alarm. Thi' ,yslem can .I,o!>e u,ed 10 check

of having been gwen in.ider informalion. Th .,e are. numbe r o f re ..on. why

.ocial function, are easy targe t.: Th e doofS and window, of the

in a neighbourhood to t he point that criminal. avoid th e e ntire a reo. Thi' can only ~ou. e

wi ll u.ually be ope n, induding th e

be achieved if the re.idenb prticipate a ctive ly in crim e p(.".,ntion initiative, in

,ecurity gate, a nd the ga te in the f"nce.

th e ir neighbourhood . There are a numbe r of example , of n e ighbourhood, that

During ,uch occ... ion" the guard dog, are ofte n confined in an enclo,ure '0

have compre hen,ive crime prevention initiative, that worle '0 well t h at criminal,

that they will not bother the gu.,b. A1.o, th e noi,e from t he entertainm e nt

avoid tho« area •.

mak .. it easy for intrud e~ to gain acce .. to the yard, whi le the alarm 'ystem, including the pre-warning .y.te m, will be .witch..d off. Re.ident> or

n eighbou~

will be unlikely at ,uch tim . . to poy attention to

noi,e. o( .ecu(ity light, that o(e triggered by motion. Fo( the mbbe" th ere i, an additional bene fit: they gain accen to a wid e (ange of mo.m vehicl. ., cell phon .., je~lIery a nd money vi a the gu ..ts.

In .ummary, th e be,t waY" to limit the ri,k of. house fObbe ry are to: Prevent poople from obtaining information on valuab l.., especia lly large amounts of cuh ke pt in.id. the house. Re main vigi la nt, irr .. pective of the a mount of ,ecurity m easur .. in place. Use 'mu ltip le

l a~rs'

of ,ecurity.

In.ta ll ,ecurity 'y,te m, that include an early wa rning 'y,te m outside and .u,· The trend o f robberies a t .ocio l fun ction. i, incre a.ing, and homeowne rs .hou ld

fOunding the hou,e (t hi' con,titutes 6lI perce nt ofthe deterrence facto'i.

take preventative measure, whe n they organi,e a ,ocial fun ction.

In.ta ll • phy,iGll I b a m er that prevents acee .. to tho .urrounding yard or gor-

Fina lly, a ll hou.e holders ,hould participate in ne ighbourhood ,ecurity initiative,. The mo.t effective way of preve nting hou,e robberies i. to impfOve the safety

d e n, '0 that an int ruder cannot g.t clo,e e nough to the hou,e to overpower a re,id.nt.

Be

~w~,e

Iholo"y

sec~"ty

syllem il ,,"ele.. jfiSM",d 0' swilched off. e.p"-

ci~IIy

durin. Ihe I,mes ""'en mosl house ,obbe,iu OC"J"" O lilan Police Service. london_ Stat. m . nt to

th e author. Florida. South Africa. 2S March 200'_ Tonry. M and Morri •. N (ed,)_ Modem p1i*">no: p,.",';p i" die

H igge n •• 0_ Ri.ing to the colle ction challenge _ In ) H Ratc liffe (ed). SfrrllCum e nts/eu -m edia-brief-int e l l ­

ooljc-glyjew_ Bin a =

(acce ..ed 1 Nove mber 2006)_

Ho me O ffice _ Safer communili",: th. local dd"'.'Y of crim. pro •• nlion Ihro!i«_ Second ed_ Johanne.burg: Heinemann, 1996_ Rh einiu, B, G ",en le .. , M R, Gibben., M H and Marsh,II, S P_ Cri",. analysi' in

Pretoria: Gov .. nment Print.., 200\_ Stati.tic, Sou t h Africa_ Census 2001: censu, in brie f. Home language by populotion

group

hlmllCln -Bri efICIB2001 Zip (acce"ed 13 March 2007)_ United Kingdom_ Hom e Office_ Crim e redu ction_ BU'll lary: Operation Anchorage:

hllJfN CIS P

p la n Pd f (accessod 30 Odob.. 2007)_ Von d .. W.. thuizen,

J-

fJesk'Y"'",d. ontJeding .an inb"," in die Norwood...

po!isioslDsi.gebi.d_ Protori.: Von Dijk, J and De Wurd,

J-

Unive~iteit

von Suid -AfTika, 19117_

A two-_ CriminalJusuu Abslra 23 (Septemb .. 1991). 48)- 503_ Wei man,

J C and Kruger,S J- R.,."rd> methodology for th. busin"" and adminis-

lratiw 0."«._ Johanne,burg: Thom,on, 1999_ Wojcie c h , C a nd

PIyw~czew,ki,

L Poland, d eveloping notion -,tat e_ In G So",k

(ed) , Crime ami .ry (A Minnur, Witch purging in the North .,n Province o f South Africa: • victim prof,le .nd a n asse"m ent of

initi~ti""s

to dul with witchcr.ft,

Pa per delive,.d at th e 9th Internat ion.1 Symposium on Victimology: Caring fo r Victims. Vrije Univer>iteit, Amsterd.m, Th e N eth erland" Septeml>.r '997, 3)-

IliIC W Morais, Die waarde van

mod~s

operandi inligling by die onde rsoek van

sekere misdade, Acta Criminologica 2(2) (1989), 4 6_

~'iJThere

.re ,"ong argum ent" b osed on scientific fact., oppo.ing t he claims that

th ..e ,ubstanc .. have any ,ul n orcotic e ffe ct_ It a ppurs to I>. more a ca,e oflhe lnJ' Finger m a n ' i, the slang term for the person (informer) who provid .. the information andl or the pe r>on who receive, the information a ndtor points out t he !.or-

re'pond ent.' I>.lieving in th ..e ,ubstanc .. tha n of t he ,ubstanc .. prod ucing a physical e ffec t _

g" premi,e, to I>. robl>.d_ [