RHODES University’s Gavin Relly Postgraduate Village has been burgled repeatedly over the last few months.
On the night of 9 April Nikki Brand and fellow resident Tess Poulos returned to Brand’s unit.
RHODES University’s Gavin Relly Postgraduate Village has been burgled repeatedly over the last few months.
On the night of 9 April Nikki Brand and fellow resident Tess Poulos returned to Brand’s unit.
Brand’s laptop, camera and two external hard-drives were missing, as well as Poulos’ hard-drive. These contained Brand’s design and photographic portfolios, encompassing fi ve years’ of work, and Poulos’ Masters thesis.
Brand informed the village’s Hi-Tec guards of the burglary and approached the sub-warden for help. After assisting her the sub-warden returned to his unit to fi nd that it had also been burgled.
Poulos also found that an attempt to enter her home had been made. According to Rhodes media liaison Ashley Stander three units were burgled in February and two in April.
Captain Milanda Coetzer of Grahamstown SAPS says no sign of forced entry could be found with the burglaries which had taken place in February.
Police suspect that the criminals gained access using a master key. After these incidents each lock was fi tted with a cover by campus security and vertical burglar bars added to the horizontal ones already fi tted to each unit.
Stander says that the Campus Protection Unit is in the process of installing security cameras in the complex. According to Coetzer laptops are a primary target in Grahamstown burglaries.
She says Grahamstown’s SAPS is currently gathering intelligence to help track down stolen laptops in the area and encourages the public to contact Captain Marius Calitz on 079 497 1458 with any information.
