OVERVIEW
Internally, crime decreased as Safeguard reported heightened vigilance amongst clients and security teams. Notable loss preventions were reported in Msasa following swift response to alarm and panic activations.
Security personnel and night staff remain vulnerable to risk of injuries, especially when resistance is involved with assault and shots fired reported during robberies.
- In Eastlea, an employee was assaulted with a firearm during an armed robbery at a business whilst in Greencroft, Harare, a woman lost her valuables after her residence caught fire during a break in
after intruders reportedly tried to enter the house through the roof and the woman managed to escape. No injuries or fatalities were reported.
To curb violent crimes, the police have intensified their operation targeting individuals found carrying
dangerous weapons including knives and machetes.
Money remains the preferred target however, the targeting of fuel, vehicles and copper cables continued to
be reported in the past month – a Safeguard Response team arrested three suspects who were found stealing copper cables in Graniteside. At industrial sites, intruders have also been targeting vehicle tarpaulin/tents
and water taps.
Following the fatal accidents involving explosives, police increased their efforts in targeting individuals involved in the illegal possession and transportation of explosives.
OUTLOOK
With the winter season, violent crimes may decrease slightly, however opportunistic break ins and thefts are likely to increase with more losses. Underreporting of crimes remains an issue as some residents may see some thefts as petty and unnecessary to report. As fuel supply remains uncertain, the cost of production and the cost of living is likely to steadily increase in the coming months.
Job insecurity and employee disgruntlement are likely to fuel internal crimes, with fraud and connivance likely
to increase as staff take advantage of porous systems to steal either money, fuel, stock and raw materials.
Other factors likely to fuel crime include the consumption of illicit substances and the recent destruction of
illegal structures in and around Harare as this increases the vulnerability of those affected.
Heavy duty machinery and vehicles and critical infrastructure such as electricity cables, transformers and
cellphone tower stations will remain vulnerable as copper cables, fuel and batteries are channelled towards the parallel market. Continued vandalism of infrastructure may also result in an increase in temporary service
instability for example, poor telecommunication service and increased power faults in affected areas.
With the use of heaters and fires to keep warm, fire hazards are also a risk in winter and threaten both
properties and livelihoods if not properly managed. This is further worsened by the unsecure storage of gas
and petrol at both industrial and residential sites.
Road traffic accidents remain a national concern with five fatalities reported per day. Road users should
expect an increased risk during winter especially in the late evenings and early mornings due to reduced
visibility on some of the roads which have poor lighting.
ADVISORY
General Advisory
- REMAIN AWARE OF THE RISKS AND REPORT UNUSUAL ACTIVITY EARLY.
- As winter approaches, ensure that your premises has adequate lighting and backup power supply to ensure that all systems are uninterrupted as loadshedding often increases during this period.
- Utilise Safeguard AI for prompt detection of intruders along your perimeter wall before they tamper with security features on site.
- Always ensure that heaters are switched off and where possible, unplugged when not in use.
- Be cautious when driving along low traffic roads especially in the early mornings and late at night as fatal crashes are more likely to occur during this period due to speeding and failure to give way.
Residential
- Lock gates and doors and arm alarms earlier as households often turn in earlier during winter.
- When walking or jogging in the early morning, rather do so in groups to reduce the risk of robbery and ensure to wear reflective clothing to reduce the risk of hit and run accidents.
Industrial and Manufacturing
- Incident reports have revealed that in some cases, syndicates and repeat offenders are involved in
both violent and nonviolent crimes. Immediately share with us your footage and any relevant images and information as these will be useful for investigations and spreading awareness in affected areas.
- Always double check invoices and receipts before signing to reduce the risk of fraud.
- Intruders either break or cut through perimeter walls or scale over low walls. Review your perimeter wall to ensure it is sturdy and high enough to protect against intrusion.
- Where possible, avoid working late into the night and if your teams must, ensure there are adequate security systems in place to protect both staff and valuables including a functional and zoned or segmented alarm systems and panic buttons which allow for easy identification of affected areas, adequate perimeter lighting, functional CCTV and strict access control.
- Ensure you have up to date emergency procedures in place for night operations including
assistance in the event of an injury or robbery on site.
- Improve security and use your cameras to complement guard patrol after hours as an additional layer – this is a simple connection to Safeguard AI and allows early alerts to our centre of the movement of
people and vehicles.
- Inspect and review your electricity connections and ensure that there are no connections that may increase the risk of electrical faults and fires on site. Properly dispose of flammable materials, cut long grass and install a fire guard around your property where possible. Always ensure that you have the appropriate and serviced fire extinguishers on site
A more detailed breakdown is below.
If you would like to discuss your options for security, or find out more about crime in your area, please contact us at info@safeguard.co.zw. You can also call Safeguard on +263 242 751395-9 the Safeguard extension 1092/1009 for assistance)- or speak to your local Safeguard manager for advice on site. Please see more information relating to crime statistics below.
Thank you for using Safeguard.
The Safeguard Team
1. CRIME INCIDENT ANALYSIS
The above visuals depict the incidents captured by Safeguard with focus on nationwide incidents, incidents reported in Harare and the targeted establishments in Harare.
Key Risk Trends and Patterns
- Internal theft incidents decreased by 46% in the past two months.
- Non-violent crimes accounted for 67% of the reported incidents in Harare, however violence remains a serious threat at business sites.
- Robberies were committed by an average of five-armed intruders whilst thefts and committed by an average of three intruders, a possible reflection of coordinated opportunistic theft operations.
- Violent crimes remain prevalent with the use of firearms consistently reported over the past three months. Shots were fired in four incidents in Chitungwiza, Msasa and Meyrick Park, a risk that significantly affects both client staff and on duty security personnel.
- Crimes remain prevalent between 1am and 3am.
High Risk Areas - harare
*A green circle with a numerical figure indicates the incident count for that area whilst a blue pin indicates an
incident in an isolated area.
- Harare West remains vulnerable to crime. In the past month, in Greencroft, an elderly woman’s residence caught fire during an attempted break in on site. Fortunately, no injuries or fatalities were reported as she managed to escape through the window.
- Break ins remained prevalent in Harare South with intruders cutting main gate locks to target tarpaulin
on parked vehicles as well as water taps. Msasa remains vulnerable to violent crimes with intruders targeting money from offices.
2. TRAVEL, HEALTH AND SAFETY ALERTS
The above map highlights the travel, health and safety alerts for the past month.
- Several multiple fatality accidents were reported in the past month with notable incidents reported in Gokwe, Kwekwe and Hwange where ten, six and eight lost their lives respectively.
- The Christmas Pass remains a high accident zone as haulage trucks continue to lose control whilst travelling along the steep pass.
- Petrol and gas related accidents continue to be reported with seven people injured in Mazowe after an explosion occurred whilst a man was offloading gas, diesel and petrol.
- A malaria outbreak was reported in Mashonaland Central, with Mount Darwin, Centenary, Muzarabani and Mbire as the worst-affected districts.
- In Zvishavane, two cholera cases were reported following a water crisis in the district.
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