MONTHLY OVERVIEW
- Crime increased by 28.7% in the past month with armed robberies increasing by almost double from 4 to 7. Common robbery, robbery without a firearm, remained constant.
- Regarding robberies, business premises were the most commonly targeted in the past month with robbers targeting businesses between 00:00 and 04:00.
- A fatality was reported during a robbery at a residence in Mount Pleasant.
- In the past month, the President of Zimbabwe also expressed concern on the increase in robberies (and ritual murders).
- Gratuitous violence remains a cause for concern. (Probably a result of financial pressures and poor access to mental health care).
- In the past month, the police reported that criminals were targeting fuel dealerships.
- Explosives were used in three incidents at business premises.
NATIONWIDE CRIME
CRIME BREAKDOWN BY MONTH
Security Alert
Suspicious Person and Arrest
02 May 2022, 23:42, Residential Site, Stratford Drive, Greystone Park – An alarm signal was received and a response team was dispatched. Upon arrival, the team found an unknown person standing outside the gate. The gardener confirmed that the person was not known on site and an arrest was made.
Security Advice
- Residents and business owners should still lock their doors and gates, and close their windows even if they have a guard and/or an alarm on-site.
- When setting up an office, always ensure that high-value goods, especially portable ones are far from the windows.
- Given the rise in robberies, businesses that transact in hard currency should review their security systems and their cash handling operations as a form of risk mitigation. This can be organized by contacting the relevant Safeguard Security/Alarms Manager
- Property owners should ensure that sites are always well lit. Motion sensor lights and floodlights are recommended around the security perimeter and in the parking lot. Dark corners or areas make it easier for criminals to jump into the premise or ambush guards.
- Young children should always be escorted to and from school and older children are encouraged to walk in groups. The police indicated that was a rise in the case of missing children nationwide, with Harare as a high-risk area.
Outlook
Given the incidents reported to Safeguard and in the media in the past month, it is clear that businesses and residences should prioritise investing in their security systems. Crimes of opportunity are being reported at both businesses and residences with some incidents involving employees as either the sole perpetrators or as connivers.
As prices continue to increase and as the winter presses on, crime, especially opportunistic crime, will increase at sites with poor security systems in place.
Thank you for using Safeguard.
MAY 2022 INCIDENT SUMMARIES
HARARE
Armed Robbery
29 May 2022, 00:36, Retail Site, Seke Road, Sunningdale: A response team was dispatched after an alarm activated on site. Upon arriving on site, the team reported that they could not see any patrolling guards. One of the responding guards proceeded to jump into the premise to investigate the matter. As the guard was checking the doors, a robber held him at gunpoint and forced marched him to the back of the shop where three private guards were being held hostage. The robber was accompanied by three more robbers and the group was armed with three pistols and bolt cutters. The robbers fled the scene when a delivery truck arrived on site and started hooting at the gate. Only a torch, baton stick and OC spray were stolen from one of the guards.
22 May 2022, 01:00, Industrial Site, Gleneagles Road, Willowvale: Two private guards pressed a panic button after they were held up and tied up by armed robbers who tried to force their way into premise. The building alarm activated and the robbers fled the scene before the response team arrived.
04 May 2022, 03:47, Industrial Site, Barking Road, Willowvale: Approximately seven armed robbers arrived on site and attacked a guard before taking his guard monitoring device. The robbers held the guard hostage, forced open the offices and started looking for the safe at one of the tenant offices. Once located, the robbers used explosives to try open the safe. When they failed, the robbers loaded the safe onto one of the vehicles and fled the scene.
Robbery
23 May 2022, 02:43, Residential Site, Epping Road, Mount Pleasant: A panic signal was received and a response team was dispatched to the site. Upon arrival, the team met with a resident who was fleeing from the premise as there were intruders inside. A second response team was dispatched to go pick up the police officers from Marlborough Police Station. The resident stated that intruders broke through the client door using an axe and proceeded to break into the client bedroom. The intruders, who were three in number, demanded cash from the client before using the axe to kill the client. The intruders fled the scene with a significant amount of money. The site does not have a guard on site.
13 May 2022, Unknown Time, Public Location, Msasa: An employee was attacked by suspects whilst he was on his way to work. The employee was assaulted and robbed of his bicycle, wallet, and cellphone. He sustained head injuries as a result of the attack.
08 May 2022, 19:00, Residential Site, North Road, Chisipite: A client called the response control room and reported that a robbery had occurred on site. Intruders entered the house through an open kitchen door and started demanding money. The intruders were given money and fled the scene. The client pressed the panic button during the incident but no signal was received. The alarm was not armed at the time the incident occurred. The site has a brick wall with razor wire and an electric fence on top.
Break-In
29 May 2022, 03:58, Industrial Site, Mukuvisi: An alert guard raised the control room after he saw intruders on site. The guard saw intruders who were trying to hook him from outside the premise. The guard fled to safety and set off the building alarms in the process. One of the intruders watched the guard from a distance for a few minutes before fleeing the scene. No losses reported.
27 May 2022, 00:37, Industrial Site, Martin Drive, Msasa: Six intruders jumped over the wall and entered the premises. When the guard saw the intruders he set the dog on the intruders causing them to flee the scene.
27 May 2022, 22:30, Residential Site, Knightsbridge, Eastlea: An alert guard reported that he saw a torch on the durawall. Upon further inspection, he saw an intruder trying to break into the premise. The guard pressed his panic button and a response team was dispatched. The intruder/s had fled the scene when the team arrived.
24 May 2022, 04:32, Residential Site, Gazelle Road, Mandara: A panic signal was received and a response team was dispatched to the site. Upon arrival, the team discovered that the gate motor had been stolen from the premise. The resident pressed the panic button when she saw the intruders jumping over the gate. The client reports that the intruders used a vehicle of an undisclosed make and model to flee the scene. There are no sensors at the gate motor.
24 May 2022, 03:25, Residential Site, Sloane Street, Highlands: A panic signal was received from the premise and a response team was dispatched to the premise. Upon arrival, the team discovered that intruders had broken through the kitchen door and stolen an I-pad, airpods, an Apple charger, a cellphone, lantern and some money. At the time of the incident, the alarm was not working due to a power cut. The site has a brick wall security perimeter with no top guarding.
23 May 2022, 04:31, Residential Site, Leicester Road, Emerald Hill: A guard reported that intruders had cut the electric fence and fled the scene.
21 May 2022, 00:35, Industrial Site, Spurn Road, Ardbennie: An alert guard raised the control room and pressed his panic button after he saw intruders on site. The guard raised alarm and the intruders fled the scene empty-handed. When the response team arrived, it was discovered that the intruders had setup a drum against the security wall and used it to throw out some plastic rolls of tubing.
21 May 2022, Unknown Time, Residential Site, Piers Road, Borrowdale: The client reported that a break-in had occurred at a neighbouring site. It is unclear what was stolen from the site.
21 May 2022, Unknown Time, Residential Site, Queen Elizabeth Road, Greendale: An intruder forced open a slightly open bedroom window and stole a laptop, satchel, cellphone, and money from the bedroom. The alarm activated whilst the intruder was inside the premise and the intruder fled the scene. The attending response team recovered the laptop and satchel on site.
18 May 2022, 06:56, Industrial Site, Dhlela Way, Graniteside: A response team was dispatched after a panic signal was received from the site. Upon arrival, the team met with a guard who informed them that intruders had broken through the security panels and attempted to force open the door. The previous night, an alarm signal had also been received from the site. No losses reported.
17 May 2022, 01:00, Retail Site, Bessemer Road, Graniteside: An alert guard raised the control room and informed them that he had apprehended an intruder whom he found on site. The intruder was in possession of a sack full of cups.
17 May 2022, 02:29, Residential Site, Kennedy Drive, Greendale: A response team was dispatched after an alarm signal was received from the site. Upon arrival, the team discovered that intruders had forced open the kitchen door but failed to enter the house as they were blocked by a screen gate. The intruders fled the scene empty-handed when the alarm activated and the dogs gave chase.
16 May 2022, 02:22, Residential Site, Aintree Road, Highlands: An alarm signal was received on-site and a response team was dispatched. Upon arrival, the team met with a client who reported that there was an intruder on site. On searching the yard, the team arrested a male suspect. He had pushed open the gate to enter the premise before the alarm sounded. The suspect was handed over to Highlands Police Station.
16 May 2022, Unknown Time, Residential Site, Drew Road, Chisipite: A client reported that intruders had forced open the kitchen door. No alarm signal was received and the client had not yet determined if anything was stolen at the time of the call.
16 May 2022, 04:14, Residential Site, Fowey Road, Vainona: A response team was dispatched after an alarm signal was received. Upon arrival, the team was informed that intruders had cut the electric fence and forced open the kitchen window. The alarm sounded when the intruders tried to cut through the burglar bar, causing the intruders to flee the scene empty-handed.
14 May 2022, 00:45, Residential Site, Harare Drive: A guard pressed his panic button after a suspicious vehicle parked outside the premise and one of the vehicle occupants exited the vehicle and attempted to break the palisade bar with a hammer. The suspects fled the scene when they saw that they had been spotted.
14 May 2022, Unknown Time, Residential Site, Carrick Creagh, Borrowdale: Employees on site reported that a television had been stolen from the premise during the night. It is unclear what time the break-in occurred. Guard on-site.
13 May 2022, 19:53, Industrial Site, Rydal Way, Arcadia: An alert guard pressed his panic button after he saw an intruder on site. A response team was dispatched and both the guard and response team managed to apprehend an intruder who was found inside the premise. The suspect had jumped over the wall to access the premise.
12 May 2022, 03:20, Industrial Site, Sande Crescent, Graniteside: An alert guard raised the control room and informed them that an intruder had cut the razor wire. A response team was dispatched as the guard gave chase of the intruder. No losses reported.
09 May 2022, 01:29, Base Station, 1st Street, and Tamuka Street, Dzivarasekwa: An alarm signal was received and a response team was dispatched to the site. Upon arrival, the team met with the private guards and upon inspecting the site they discovered that intruders had damaged the palisade bars but failed to steal anything from the site.
01 May 2022, 19:58, Industrial Site, Williams Way, Msasa: A guard raised the control room and reported that one of the drivers was siphoning fuel from his truck. The driver was seen offloading his fuel container and other items in an undesignated offloading area.
08 May 2022, 03:54, Business Premise, Mukaka Road, Chitungwiza: An alarm signal was received from the site and a response team was dispatched. Upon arrival, the team met with a private guard and together they inspected the premises and discovered that intruder and made two holes in one of the offices. No losses were reported.
07 May 2022, 00:07, Business Premise, Prince Edward Road, Kensington: An alarm signal was received and a response team was dispatched. Upon arrival, the team reported that the main door had been forced open and the locking system had been damaged. The key-holders attended the scene, and no losses were reported.
07 May 2022. 01:42, Business Premise, Northway Road, Waterfalls: A guard pressed a panic button after hearing noise on the premise. Upon the response team’s arrival, the team and guard discovered that intruders had cut the razor wire and attempted to steal two wheels from a vehicle.
05 May 2022, 01:43, Business Premise, Bath Road, Avondale: An alarm signal was received and a response team was dispatched. Upon arrival, the team discovered that intruders forced open the main door but fled the scene empty-handed when the alarm activated. The site does not have outdoor sensors.
03 May 2022, 03:00, Public Location, Ceres Road, Sunningdale: An alarm activated after suspects attempted to steal telecommunication cables from the site. The suspects fled the scene when they saw the response team approaching.
02 May 2022, 02:41, Base Station, Mutamba Drive, Mufakose: A response team was dispatched after a video and alarm signal were received from the site. Upon arrival, the team discovered that an intruder had jumped over the perimeter wall, broke through the palisade bars, and cut a copper cable at the booster. The intruder fled the scene when the alarm activated. There was no guard manning the site.
02 May 2022, 22:50, Industrial Site, Dumfries Road, Workington: The guard on-site pressed his panic button after six intruders attempted to enter the premise by removing the security perimeter panels. The button was pressed after two guards raised alarm of an intrusion on site. A response team was dispatched and arrived within a few minute; the intruders had already fled the scene.
02 May 2022, 11:20, Industrial Site, Lytton Road, Workington: Intruders broke down some panels of the security wall and stole a tent from one of the vehicles. A guard was on-site at the time of the incident.
01 May 2022, 21:50, Residential Site, Natal Road, Avondale: A non-client phoned the response control room requesting a team to attend to her friend’s residence as there were suspected intruders on site. Upon arrival, the team met with the maid who told them she heard noises in the yard and on top of the roof. The team checked the yard and all seemed in order.
Theft
31 May 2022, 01:00, Public Location, Glen Helen Way, Helensvale: A power cut was reported after thieves vandalised the transformer and stole an undisclosed amount of oil from the transformer.
28 May 2022, 01:07, Residential Site, Helensvale Road, Helensvale: A response team was dispatched after an alarm signal was received. On arrival, the team met with the client and was informed that intruders had attempted to fish out whiskey from the pantry. The intruders dropped the satchel that had the alcohol on-site and the team managed to recover the loot. The site is secured by a panel wall that has an electric fence on top.
27 May 2022, 18:30, Industrial Site, Simon Mazorodze, Ardbennie: A guard on-site arrested an intruder who has snuck through the pedestrian gate and started to steal beverages from the site. The intruder was found throwing the beverages over the security wall. All the goods were successfully recovered on site.
26 May 2022, 01:20, Residential Site, West Road, Avondale: A guard raised the control room and reported that an intruder had opened an unlocked door and stolen a cellphone from the premise.
26 May 2022, 18:00, Public Location, Kambanji Drive, Kambanji: An armoured cable was reported stolen a 100m from the client site.
22 May 2022, 03:15, Residential Site, Cleveland Road, Greendale: A response team was dispatched after an alarm signal was received from the premise. Upon arrival, the team met with the client and was informed that intruders had broken a vehicle window and stolen the vehicle battery. There are no sensors where the vehicle was parked.
16 May 2022, Unknown Time, Industrial Site, Henley Drive, Waterfalls: An undisclosed amount of fuel was stolen from the trucks parked on site. The matter was investigated internally.
16 May 2022, Unknown Time, Refugee Camp, Harare: Three toilet units were vandalised and had their units stolen.
15 May 2022, 05:55, Industrial Site, Loreley Crescent, Msasa: A guard raised the control room and reported that a generator had been stolen from the premise. The theft was discovered during handover takeover when the guards noticed that the gate keys, the generator keys, and the generator were missing.
14 May 2022, 05:34, Business Premise, Nelson Mandela and Fourth Street, Harare City Centre: A response team was dispatched after an alarm signal was received from the site. Upon arrival, the team met with one of the clients and it was discovered that the emergency door had been left unlocked. A laptop and cartridges had been stolen from the premise. The client informed the team that he suspected that it was an inside job.
13 May 2022, Unknown Time, Residential Site, Carrick Creagh, Borrowdale: A caretaker on-site informed a Safeguard supervisor that his belongings had been stolen from the site. Searches were conducted and an employee was found in possession of the stolen goods.
12 May 2022, Unknown Time, Fast food Outlet, Simon Mazorodze, Workington: Two employees were arrested after they were found in possession of used cooking oil stolen from the premise.
12 May 2022, 01:50, Sub Station, Hindhead Avenue, Chisipite: A guard reported that he heard a noise across the road where the substation is located. When he went to investigate, he discovered that some iron bars had been stolen from the substation.
11 May 2022, Educational Institution, Basset Crescent, Alexandra Park: An employee was handed over to the police after he was found in the possession of goods stolen on site.
07 May 2022, Unknown Time, Retail Site, Chiremba Road, Hillside: A guard reported to the control room that thieves had broken into a vehicle parked on-site and stolen a satchel with books.
BULAWAYO
Armed Robbery
28 May 2022, 07:00, Residential Site, Gwabalanda, Bulawayo: A response team was dispatched to the site after a panic signal was received from the site. Upon arrival, the team was informed that five armed suspects had the razor wire and killed the two dogs on site. The suspects grabbed the help as she was going about her duties and forced her into the house. The clients were robbed of money, a 303 revolver, six cellphones, a pellet gun, and a vehicle. The client only managed to press the panic button after the incident.
18 May 2022, 19:00, Retail Site, Jason Moyo and 6th Avenue, Suburbs: A response team was dispatched after a panic signal was received from the premise. Upon arrival, the team discovered that four armed suspects forced their way into the shop at closing and held the employees hostage at gunpoint. The suspects demanded the safe keys. The suspects then took the managers cellphones and money before fleeing the scene.
Break-In
23 May 2022. 07:40, Retail Site, 3rd Avenue and Fort Street, Makokoba: Client called the control room and informed them that intruders had broken through a toilet window, accessed the cash office, and used a grinder to open the safe. The intruders fled the scene with the cash that was in the safe. Investigations revealed that the intruder had knowledge of the building layout and its weaknesses.
19 May 2022, 03:02, Residential Site, 14th Avenue, Famona: A response team was dispatched after a panic signal was received from the site. Upon arrival, the team discovered that intruders had jumped into the yard but fled the scene when the alarm activated.
19 May 2022, 02:00, Residential Site, Montgomery Drive, Richmond: The client sent a WhatsApp message to the control room and reported that intruders had broken into her vehicle and stolen a tool box.
16 May 2022, Unknown Time, Base Station, Bulawayo: A response team was dispatched after an alarm was activated on-site. Upon arrival, the team discovered that the palisade fence had been cut and that intruders had stolen copper cables from the base station. The intruders had readjusted the camera before stealing the copper. The alarm activated as they were in the process of removing the copper.
13 May 2022, 01:53, Industrial Site, Josiah Chinamano, Belmont: A response team was dispatched after an alarm was activated on-site. Upon arrival, the team met with two private guards who informed them that they saw intruders trying to drain fuel from a truck.
07 May 2022, Industrial Site, Blackburn Road, Tshabalala Extension: A guard pressed his panic button after he found a drunk man lying inside the premise. The man tried to jump into the premise but was arrested by the response team.
06 May 2022, 23:55, Base Station, Tshabalala: An alarm signal was received from the premise and a response team was dispatched. Intruders forced open the palisade bars and stole an undisclosed amount of copper wires.
05 May 2022, 13:26, Residential Site, Inkhaka, Hillside: Intruders cut through the razor wire and electric fence and proceeded to remove the burglar bars from the building window. A television and microwave were then stolen from the premise. The house and fence alarms were not armed at the time of the incident.
MANICALAND
Robbery
11 May 2022, 02:15, Business Premise, Tembwe Street, Chipinge: An alert guard raised the control room and reported that two intruders armed with machetes had forced their way onto the premise. The two, who were wearing face masks, fled the scene when the guard raised an alarm. A pair of pliers were found on-site; no losses were reported.
Break-In
23 May 2022, Unknown Time, Industrial Site, Durban Road, Nyakamete: Intruders attempted to enter the premise by breaking the screen gate and failed.
20 May 2022, Unknown Time, Business Premise, Aerodrome Road, Florida: During handover takeover the guards on duty discovered that intruders had broken a storeroom window and stolen 44 buffalo bicycle tubes and 22 buffalo bicycle tyres.
20 May 2022, Unknown Time, Church, Hulley Road, Palmerstone: Intruders broke a window to enter the house and stole a television. The alarm was not armed when the incident occurred.
16 May 2022, 09:05, Business Premise, Aberdeen Road, Nyakamete: A private guard phoned the control room and reported that intruders had cut the fence. No losses were reported on-site at the time the report was made.
13 May 2022, 02:30, Business Premise, Simon Mazorodze, Mutare: A driver phoned the control room and reported that he had seen intruders enter the premise whilst he was parked on site. A response team was dispatched but the intruders had fled the scene by the time the team arrived.
08 May 2022, 00:21, Residential Site, Yeovil: A response team was dispatched after an alarm signal was received. Upon arrival, the team discovered that intruders had jumped over the security wall and attempted to steal garden chairs from the premise. The intruders fled the scene through an unlocked gate when the alarm activated. The gate is reportedly difficult to open from the outside that is why it was left unlocked.
07 May 2022, Unknown Time, Residential Site, Sakubva: An unknown number of intruders forced open a door and stole an undisclosed amount of property from the premise.
Theft
31 May 2022, 02:19, Industrial Site, Mutare: A response team was dispatched after an alarm activated on-site. Upon arrival, the team discovered that all appeared in order on site. As they were departing, they saw a suspicious man carrying cables. The man dropped the cables and fled the scene.
26 May 2022, 22:53, Retail Site, Glasgow Road, Rusape: Two customers used an old invoice to steal goods from the premise. The theft was discovered after the owner of the invoice informed the guard that his invoice had been taken. The stolen goods were recovered after the customers were found at a nearby premise.
25 May 2022, 12:00, Farm, Chipinge: Intruders accessed the premise and stole an undisclosed amount of nuts.
18 May 2022, Unknown Time, Farm, Chipinge: The client security officer informed the day guard that 22 perimeter fence droppers were stolen from the premise.
16 May 2022, 19:00, Industrial Site, Mutare: An alert guard fired a warning shot after he saw four suspects scouting the premise for at least two hours. The guard suspected that the four were waiting for an opportunity to break into the premise.
15 May 2022, 23:38, Business Premise, Chikanga: A response team was dispatched after a panic signal was received from the premise. Upon arrival, the team met with the client who informed them that a female suspect had stolen some property from the premise and fled the scene.
02 May 2022, 02:00, Industrial Site, Durban Road, Nyakamete: Two employees were caught on camera after they stole a box of cooking oil from the warehouse. The cooking oil was recovered at their homes and the two were handed over to the police.
MASHONALAND EAST
Robbery
18 May 2022, 23:00, Pharmacy, Ruwa: Four intruders entered the premise and attacked the guard. The intruders broke into the building and crawled on the floor to avoid the sensors before using explosives to blast open the safe. The intruders took money from the safe and fled the scene. The guard only managed to trigger the alarm the next morning at 07:06 and a response team was dispatched. The site has closed-circuit television cameras on-site and a privately installed alarm system.
Break-In
30 May 2022, 01:186, Retail Site, Ruwa: A response team was dispatched after an alarm signal was received from the premise. Upon arrival, the team started met with two private guards and started checking the property. It was then discovered that intruders had forced open a front door, broken through the ceiling, and vandalised the alarm and cameras. The intruders proceeded into the cash office and used explosives to blast open the safe. The intruders stole an undisclosed amount of money and CPU from the cash office and fled the scene.
MASHONALAND WEST
Armed Robbery
16 May 2022, 00:00, Business Premise, Shamwari Close, Harare: An unknown number of robbers accessed the premise and held up the guards on site. The robbers assaulted two of the guards before fleeing the scene with a 50m armored cable and 100m of copper cable. One of the female guards managed to free herself and the others before raising the control room for assistance.
MASVINGO
Break-In
20 May 2022, 03:39, Business Premise, Clipsham: A response team was dispatched after an alarm signal was received from the premise. Upon arrival, the team checked the premise and discovered that an intruder had attempted to force open the kitchen door resulting in the alarm activation. No losses were reported from the premise.
MATEBELELAND NORTH
Theft
08 May 2022, 04:15, Industrial Site, Crackely Lane, Hwange: An alert guard raised the control room after he saw intruders on site.
01 May 2022, Unknown Time, Industrial Site, Crackely Lane, Hwange: Guards on site reported that copper strips had been stolen from the premise. No signs of forced entry were seen.
MIDLANDS
Break-in
30 May 2022, 23:49, Substation, Kwekwe: A response team was dispatched after an alarm signal was received from the site. Upon arrival, the team discovered that intruders had broken through the fence but no losses were reported.
18 May 2022, 20:30, Base Station, Mkoba: A loss control room officer reported that intruders had broken into the base station and stolen an undisclosed amount of fuel. The private guard manning the site reported that all had been in order when he knocked off duty in the morning. The theft was discovered by an incoming private night guard.
13 May 2022, 20:00, Mine, Shurugwi: An alert guard fired a warning shot after a group of illegal miners forced their way onto the site and attempted to attack him and his colleagues. No injuries reported.
Theft
05 May 2022, 02:30, Industrial Site, Gweru Industry: A guard raised the control room and reported that a theft had been reported to him by an employee on site. The employee saw a colleague concealing aluminium pattern moulds near the security wall and made a report. The employee was arrested and handed over to the police.