A recent arrest of a wanted suspect has once again highlighted the importance of reporting crime.

On 22 August 2023 at approximately 11h38, Fidelity ADT Reaction Officer Gift Ramolefe responded to a panic alert at Strandford Road in Samrand Kosmosdal.

 On his arrival, he was informed by the customer that one of the staff members on the premises was involved in a break-in that took place a week ago and requested that he be arrested.  

Reaction Officer Ramolefe successfully apprehended the suspect and handed him over to Seargent Kimbito of Olievenhoutbosch SAPS.

A SAPS investigation is currently underway and it is believed that the suspect was linked to a previous house break-in. 

Charnel Hattingh, group head of marketing & communications for Fidelity ADT says, “I commend our officers for their swift action and vigilance. A large number of crimes simply go unreported because of the nature of the crime or because of a lack of confidence in the system.  This may seem like a petty incident but selective reporting of crime is problematic as it contributes to the dissemination of misinformation around crime, rather than accurate and contextualised information, which the SAPS and private security companies can then work on to apprehend suspects.

“No matter how big or small or how insignificant you feel the crime is it needs to be acted upon and reported. If the suspects are apprehended at a later date there is often no charge as there has been no complainant or case number to attach it to!”

Here are seven key reasons to report crime: 

• It helps with establishing crime trends and provides authorities with invaluable information on how to best allocate resources
• If a car registration vehicle is reported the SAPS can immediately start tracking the vehicle and carry out stop and search intercepts
• It helps in understanding both the motive and modus of the crime and how crime prevention strategies are being deployed
• It ensures suspects can be sent to jail once they have been finally apprehended – without a complainant and case number, there is no case
• It helps the community to better understand and respond to safety issues
• It can lead to more arrests as your crime could be a critical link to another similar crime and could result in an arrest

“A community approach to fighting crime is essential and always pays dividends leading to safer communities. It starts off with a commitment from residents to report crimes accurately and a follow-up commitment from SAPS and other influencers in the sector,  like the private security industry,  to follow up on all leads and react proactively to trends and incidents to reduce crime levels,” concludes Hattingh.

-- ENDS --

COMPILED ON BEHALF OF FIDELITY ADT BY CATHY FINDLEY PUBLIC RELATIONS, FOR MEDIA QUERIES CONTACT JACQUI MOLOI ON 071 764 8233 OR JACQUI@FINDLEYPR.CO.ZA