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Tuesday 22 February 2011
Agents beware GERDA VON BENECKE
S
HOWING houses on Sundays is becoming a “risky business” for some estate agents. A property developer and BKM Neighbourhood Watch patroller who spoke to People’s Post on condition of anonymity says incidents involving robberies from show houses and attacks on estate agents have become “a problem” in the past four to five months, with an incident occurring approximately once every three to four weeks. Kirstenhof Community Policing Forum chairperson, Geoff Fox, said he was not aware of any incidents of this nature “in a couple of months” – except for an agent who claimed that money had been stolen out of her handbag – but admitted that showing houses was definitely a “risky business”. He believes that many cases are not reported to police because the agents are simply “too embarrassed”. Tony Schreiber, head of BKM Watch operations, said a current trend exists where thieves distract the agent by striking up a conversation while an accomplice heads to a room and steals valuables. Seeff Properties estate agent, Sharyn Dabbs, says this is exactly what happened to her. She says agents should always make sellers aware that valuables need to be put away before showing their homes. Dabbs, who usually makes a point of lecturing her sellers on the point, was caught in a trap by two young women at the end of last year. She says the incident happened on a Sunday afternoon, when two “responsible looking” young women came in, spending approximately 30 minutes with her in the house. Dabbs says the women were “great actors” with “good stories”. From the very start, however, she had a “suspicious sense” that something was not quite right. After the women left the house, Dabbs immediately went back inside and found that the Wii video game console was missing. Dabbs then got into her car, chased after the women, and after pulling their silver Hyundai over, took the Wii back from the women, before rushing back to the house. Arriving back, Dabbs was met by the own-
ers of the house who, after finding that jewellery had also been stolen, reported the case to Kirstenhof police. Dabbs, who has been in the property industry for 25 years, feels horrified by the women’s perception that they could “just go in and take someone else’s stuff”, but refuses to be a victim, choosing rather to protect herself the best way she possibly can. Security measures she put in place include now carrying a shock stick, pepper spray and the special ADT response service set up by Seeff Properties where, at the press of a button on her cellphone, a response vehicle is called out to the house she is showing. According to Dabbs, she has heard of a few other incidents where women of a similar description have been involved in similar incidents in the area, sometimes accompanied by two men. She says agencies are sharing information of this kind with each other to try “beat this thing”. Schreiber says estate agents are putting themselves and the property at risk by leaving driveway gates and front doors wide open. They are also ensuring easy access to homes because people walk right into the property and house without being seen or greeted. However, in some cases, such as that of an agent from Pears Property, who was attacked while showing a flat on Sunday 22 January in Plumstead, an open door and gate could have made the incident completely avoidable. According to the agent, who chooses to remain anonymous, at approximately 15:00 he buzzed a man in at both the security gate and a security door at the foyer of the flat complex. Due to a strong south-easterly wind, the agent pulled the security door closed, but did not lock it. According to the agent, the man, in his late 20s and about six feet tall, definitely gave him a “strange feeling” as he walked around nervously and talked fast about looking for a place for himself, his wife and child. When they reached the main bedroom the man suddenly lunged at him, reached behind his back and threatened to stab him if he did not give him R20. The agent eventually overpowered the man and pinned him face down on the ground, and although not noticing any sign of a knife, felt “very nervous” at the time.
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Top class
The Cape Malay Choir Board hosted the premier division of the its choral competition at the Good Hope Centre on Saturday. Eleven troupes gathered to battle it out for top honours, with the Angeliere Malay Choir from Athlone walking away with the spoils. The team will now compete in the Top Eight competition, which will see the best teams in all divisions competing against each other. That segment takes place on 19 March. The final showdown, regarded as the Grand Final, will take place on 16 April, which will see the winners of the Premier’s Cup and President’s Cup clashing. Here Faseeg Saal of the Angeliere performs his item on the night. Photo: Sharief Jaffer The agent tried to run away, but was again tackled by the man into the toilet, whereafter they struggled for another while. The agent eventually managed to push the man out of the front door, and the man ran off. The agent, who has been in the industry for 14 years, says this is the first time an incident of this kind has happened to him. The agent suggested that cheap mobile web cameras be installed where agents show houses, so visitors at least know, for their safety and the agent’s, that a record of what they looked like was being kept. According to Diep River police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Keith Chandler, the last incidents he was aware of took place about three to four months ago. In one instance, an estate agent was attacked while showing a house and the other involved a theft from a show house. In another incident, also in No-
vember last year, an estate agent called the police after feeling “uneasy” about two men who visited the property. Chandler says if people reported these incidents more often, police would be more aware of them, adding that people often did not report minor incidents. According to Chandler, a police reservist made it his duty last year November to visit every show house to make estate agents alert and aware of their own safety. Kirstenhof Crime Watch spokesperson, Karen Key, as well as Diep River CPF chairperson, Cecil Watts, said they were not aware of any incidents of the kind happening in their areas in recent months. Watts, however, said that while he understood it was sometimes difficult, estate agents needed to take precautionary methods by signing up for special armed response services, he said.
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