A brazen thief who targeted the Gabriella Centre has forced the Somerset West facility to champion an online crowdfunding campaign in hopes of funds to upgrade their security system following the safety breach.
“Who steals from an NPO that’s serving disabled people?” asked a bewildered Sabrina Chalmer, the operation manager of the Gabriella Centre which serves as a residential and daycare facility for children and young adults with profound physical and intellectual disabilities.
According to Chalmer the break-in occurred on Wednesday 14 August around 03:47 when an intruder scaled the wall of a neighbouring property and slipped through a gap in the broken fence.
“At the time of the incident, the three staff members on duty were on the other side of the facility, supervising 13 residents who were asleep,” said Chalmer.
The centre’s security camera footage shows the nifty burglar managing to avoid detection by crawling beneath the alarm-sensory beams after gaining access to the property. Creeping along the side of the facility toward the newly-installed aluminium doors which had not yet been fitted with burglar bars, the suspected thief slipped into the kitchen. The perpetrator took items such as electrical appliances and laptops and iPads before fleeing the scene.
“The iPads were for augmentative and alternative communication which is an aid for non-verbal communication,” explained Chalmer.
She further explained that the intruder was able to breach the activated alarm system because of a faulty battery.
“It was only discovered that a burglary occurred after a staff member returned to the kitchen and noticed her handbag was missing. She immediately notified senior management who then contacted armed response and the police,” said Chalmer.
Sergeant Suzan Jantjies, spokesperson for the Somerset West police, confirmed the incident, saying a case of housebreaking and theft is under investigation.
“The identity of the suspect is not yet known, and no arrest has yet been made,” said Jantjies.
Anyone with information which could lead to a break in the case, is urged to call the Somerset West CID on 021 850 1344.
Following the traumatising incident, centre management has prioritised bolstering security measures. In hopes of raising enough funds to ensure the safety of their vulnerable residents and staffers, the centre has created a Back-a-Buddy page and implores locals to open their hearts to the cause by offering their financial support.
The funds will go toward installing high-tech boundary CCTV cameras that will be integrated with the centre’s security system. In future if any intruder enters the property, an alarm will be activated and alert a security team and the neighbourhood watch. This they hope will deter any future want to be thieves.
“As a non-profit organisation, we rely heavily on donor assistance, and without this support, we wouldn’t be able to afford these critical upgrades,” said Chalmer.
. To donate to the campaign, visit https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/gabriella-centre-security-enhacement-project.
