Shannon Viljoen, Fish Hoek
I was at Dalebrook tidal pool on Wednesday afternoon March 24 at around 3.45pm and my car was stolen from the parking lot.
I believe that someone watched me park there and followed me into the tidal pool area, watched where I set my beach bag down and then when I was in the water they stole the car key out of my bag.
By the time I got out of the tidal pool, the car was long gone. The police have found camera footage of my vehicle, a white Chevrolet Orlando, at 4pm in Lakeside and then nothing else.
I feel really frustrated that there is so little that can be done about this. I wish we could put up a sign to warn other beachgoers that there are car thieves watching and waiting for the right set of circumstances and are ready to strike.
When we reported the crime at Muizenberg police station, they said we were about the fifth reporting of car theft in the area yesterday.
I want to make a suggestion that the Dalebrook Café sets up a service where owners can check in their car keys for a small fee. Or open up the idea that someone in that area does something along these lines.
Also I would like to thank to the kind people at Dalebrook who helped me first to search for my keys, comforted me, lent me their phones to call for help and drove me and my son to the police station. They were angels in a horrible situation.
Muizenberg Vispol Commander Captain Amanda De Beer responds: We have had an increase in theft of motor vehicles in the Muizenberg area. Kalk Bay is not a hot spot. Our hot spot is Surfer’s Corner in Muizenberg. The surfers lock their car keys in the “surfer safe” and lock it on to the vehicle. Within seconds, the “surfer safe” is broken open and keys are taken.
We advise that surfers do not leave the keys in the “surfer safe” or on the wheel of the vehicle. Make sure that all windows and doors are locked. Go around the vehicle and ensure that all doors are locked due to the remote jamming scam.
Never leave valuables in your vehicle, especially if they can be seen from outside the vehicle. People that are on the beach must at all times ensure that someone is with their bags as perpetrators take the keys out of bags.
Ask the car guard for his/her name when parking your vehicle and memorise your registration number in case you have to report it as stolen, and do not leave your vehicle-registration document in the vehicle.