A thief was caught red-handed by lifeguards after snatching a tourist’s bag containing valuables worth more than R26 000.
|||Durban - A thief posing as a beachgoer was caught red-handed by two Durban lifeguards when he snatched a tourist’s bag containing more than R26 000 worth of valuables.
The man looked around, casually picked up the bag, slung it over his shoulder and walked away.
The incident happened at about midday on North Beach.
The lifeguards who spotted the thief from the lifeguard tower, less than 200m away, chased him and made a citizen’s arrest.
The bag, its contents still intact, was then handed to a shocked Alide Cato of Potchefstroom, who did not even know that her bag had been stolen.
Durban lifeguard squad leader, Brendan Callaghan, said he was scanning the beach from the tower when he spotted a man walking towards Cato.
He said he looked like a regular beachgoer, dressed in slops, shorts and a T-shirt.
He was also carrying a shopping bag.
“As I watched, I saw him casually stroll over to where Cato was sunbathing. He picked up her handbag, slung it over his shoulder and casually walked away as if it belonged to him,” Callaghan said.
“He did not run – he walked away slowly. It was all in a day’s work for him,” he said.
“My colleague, Lindani Radebe, was with me at the time. We jumped off the tower and gave chase.”
Callaghan said the man spotted them pursuing him and tried to escape by walking towards the pier.
“Lindani and I approached him from different directions. We did not want him to escape on to the promenade. Unfortunately for him, it was full tide and he could not escape through the pier. He was cornered.”
He said the man did not resist arrest.
“We then marched him back to Cato. We asked her if she had given him permission to take her bag.
“She said no. I then alerted the nearby metro police who were on duty and he was cuffed and taken away.”
He said Cato was shocked when he related the details of the incident to her.
“She did not even know her bag had been stolen. She was very grateful that it was returned with all her valuables.”
Cato was full of praise for the lifeguards.
“I was relaxing on the beach and fell asleep while sun tanning. The next thing I remember was the lifeguard standing over me with this guy,” she said.
Cato said she was shocked to hear that her bag had been stolen.
“My entire life was in that bag, including my iPhone, camera, cellphone, identification document and car keys.”
A beachgoer who witnessed the incident said the lifeguards had cornered the man “like a rat”.
The suspect was expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court today on a charge of theft.
Callaghan said in the past 18 months, crime had reduced significantly on the beachfront because of strong police presence.
Police patrols and visibility had been a strong deterrent, he said.
Durban Central police spokesman, Captain Khepu Ndlovu, said patrols along the beachfront were conducted around the clock.
“Members of the police and metro are permanently deployed on the beach. There are regular vehicle and foot patrols. Patrols are also conducted on the beach itself,” he said.
“This has proved to be a strong deterrent for criminals and the number of incidents of petty theft has dropped significantly.”
Ndlovu said incidents of remote jamming – the use of a remote device to disable a vehicle’s security system – which had plagued the beachfront area in the past – were also on the decline.
“We have appealed to beachgoers to remain vigilant at all times – not to leave their valuables unattended on the beach and to physically check that their vehicles are locked,” he said.
Ndlovu said the few incidents reported were attributed to negligence.
“Some beachgoers still insist on burying their car keys in the sand and leaving their valuables unattended while they swim. That is asking for trouble.”
He said that since December there had been no serious incidents reported at the beachfront.
Daily News