{"id":807455,"date":"2025-01-20T17:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-20T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=807455"},"modified":"2025-01-20T16:51:24","modified_gmt":"2025-01-20T14:51:24","slug":"new-criminal-tactic-hitting-one-of-south-africas-semigration-hotspots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/807455\/new-criminal-tactic-hitting-one-of-south-africas-semigration-hotspots\/","title":{"rendered":"New criminal tactic hitting one of South Africa’s semigration hotspots"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Plettenberg Bay, a semigration hotspot in South Africa’s Western Cape, has recently become the target of a new criminal tactic that threatens the security of residents and businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ivor Claasen, Garden Route branch manager for Fidelity ADT, said suspects have been seen using white paint to obstruct the view of CCTV cameras<\/strong>, allowing them to move undetected during break-ins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The method was highlighted in local community policing meetings where crime trends are discussed with the South African Police Service (SAPS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claasen advised property owners to use additional external perimeter security measures to protect their surveillance equipment and deter potential intruders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plettenberg Bay’s appeal has surged in recent years, establishing it as a prime semigration destination for remote workers or people looking to upgrade their lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several factors contribute to this trend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The town offers a serene coastal lifestyle and calm environment away from urban centres, and it has well-developed infrastructure and amenities, making it great for professionals who want to relocate without compromising their careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preliminary property data for 2024 indicates that average property prices in the area have increased by 25% on this trend, building on a similar 25% rise in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The average property value has increased from R2.4 million to R4.1 million in the last four years. This consistent growth highlights the increasing demand for real estate in the town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The semigration trend is not unique to Plettenberg Bay but is observed across various coastal towns in the Western Cape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notably, other areas such as Langebaan and Hermanus also attract buyers looking for a lifestyle change.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the Plett’s charm and the influx of new residents, the recent criminal activities pose a real concern for the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criminals using white paint to disable security cameras represent a relatively sophisticated approach to exploiting vulnerabilities in security systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response, security experts recommend that residents and business owners assess and enhance their current security measures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applying better external perimeter defences, such as protective casings for cameras and motion-activated lighting, can better counter or deter these criminal strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plett crime stats<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Available data from the South African Police Service (SAPS), tracking crime stats for the first three quarters of the 2024 calendar year, shows that Plett has seen a declining trend in break-ins over the past five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the five-year data includes the years that crime operations were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Year-on-year, burglary levels have remained relatively flat with 226 cases reported between January and August 2024, versus 224 reported over the same period in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are split between burglaries at non-residential premises, which have ticked up (55 in 2024 versus 33 in 2023) over the period, and burglaries at residential premises, which have dropped (171 reports vs 191 in 2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other popular semigration hotspots along the Garden Route, however, have recorded relatively high levels of burglary activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, areas such as Knysna and Oudsthoorn rank among the top 30 worst stations in the Western Cape for break-ins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this comes with the additional caveat that crimes in these areas are reported at centralised precincts that may cover a much larger area than just the towns themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, the introduction of new tactics among criminals highlights the evolving nature of security threats in the region and poses risks going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The security experts advised continued collaboration between residents, security companies, and law enforcement agencies to ensure continued protection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Property and business owners in this coastal hotspot are warned to be vigilant as a new security threat emerges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":807617,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9876],"tags":[12867,21463,3888,853],"class_list":["post-807455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-fidelity-adt","tag-plettenberg-bay","tag-saps","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=807455"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":807709,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807455\/revisions\/807709"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/807617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=807455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=807455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=807455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}