{"id":55664,"date":"2022-11-15T16:21:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-15T14:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/"},"modified":"2025-03-20T23:08:55","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T21:08:55","slug":"be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Be vigilant not to become a crime statistic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With the Festive Season upon us, residents are warned to be vigilant of crime trends in their area, especially while out and about, and shopping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The District Commissioner of Lejweleputswa Maj. Gen. Lerato Molale cautions residents and shoppers about crime trends during this Festive Season saying that criminals will use any opportunity that might arise. \u201cResidents must be vigilant of their own safety and ensure that property and valuables are kept safely. Motorists are advised to keep their windows closed when approaching a robot and to be vigilant especially at night,\u201d says Molale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He warns residents when parking vehicles, to ensure that they are properly locked to avoid jam locking. \u201cMake sure that handbags, laptops, expensive lumber jackets and cellphones are kept out of sight when parking or driving off,\u201d says Molale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People must park in paid parking areas where there are security guards. They must stop using a cellphone while driving, as this attracts opportunistic criminals to break windows and grab cellphones (smash and grab). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The police also advise that if you suspect that you are being followed, pass your home to a filling station or police station. While evading the pursuer note the colour, make of the vehicle, registration numbers, how many occupants and their description. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
This Festive Season, we have more boots on the ground to enhance police visibility<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Shoppers must be vigilant on their shopping sprees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo not allow anyone to prophecy over you because mostly it\u2019s a scam. Do not wear expensive jewels while shopping. Try to use debit cards when making your festive season purchases. Do not carry large amounts of cash, and do not make cash withdrawals at ATM\u2019s in full view of criminals,\u201d says Capt. Stephen Thakeng, media liaison officer for the Lejweleputswa SAPS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thakeng warns public servants, especially women, about young foreign nationals posing as lovers. \u201cThey will ultimately cheat you of your hard earned cash and even your pension money,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women must avoid going to taverns with cash, and do not carry large sums of cash at liquor premises. \u201cShebeens must be reported, so that they can be closed,\u201d says Thakeng.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe encourage residents to partner with the police through MySAPS App and Crime Stop number 08600 10111. They must report suspicious looking people or vehicles in the shopping malls, residential areas and industrial areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reports can be done anonymously so that the police can thwart serious crime before it happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis Festive Season, we have more boots on the ground to enhance police visibility,\u201d concludes Molale.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the Festive Season upon us, residents are warned to be vigilant of crime trends in their area, especially while out and about, and shopping.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":55666,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"bbacd563-0806-4f5a-84d6-0c15f6f0f62d","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7970],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-55664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nBe vigilant not to become a crime statistic | Vista<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Be vigilant not to become a crime statistic\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With the Festive Season upon us, residents are warned to be vigilant of crime trends in their area, especially while out and about, and shopping.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Vista\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-11-15T14:21:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-20T21:08:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/9390332e43d14cd3b11777e5683f179b.jpg?fit=1280%2C960&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Vista\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Vista\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Vista\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/21061a6ffd102003447c400f78cc5bfe\"},\"headline\":\"Be vigilant not to become a crime statistic\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-11-15T14:21:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-20T21:08:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":427,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/9390332e43d14cd3b11777e5683f179b.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2022\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\\\/\",\"name\":\"Be vigilant not to become a crime statistic | Vista\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/9390332e43d14cd3b11777e5683f179b.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-11-15T14:21:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-20T21:08:55+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/9390332e43d14cd3b11777e5683f179b.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/9390332e43d14cd3b11777e5683f179b.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":960,\"caption\":\"Do not use cellphones while driving. This attracts opportunistic criminals to break windows and grab cellphones (smash and grab). Photo: Stock\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Be vigilant not to become a crime statistic\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\",\"name\":\"Vista News\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Vista News\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/vista-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/vista-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Vista News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/VistaNewsNuus\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/vistanewspaper\"],\"description\":\"Vista is a regional newspaper based in Welkom, the capital of Matjhabeng Municipality, in the central Free State. Vista, an English\\\/Afrikaans publication, first brought news to the community on 23 April 1971, with the following message on the front page: \u201cWe are here to write about the Goldfield and its people. We are here to serve the area in which we find ourselves, and with the help of our readers \u2013 who refine us with their constructive criticism.\",\"email\":\"vistanews@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"+27573571304\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/21061a6ffd102003447c400f78cc5bfe\",\"name\":\"Vista\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9314f07ac8cd90ba9f9b01f9bc9c51ab642163d2b4e145dce575ce1d9f0cce5f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9314f07ac8cd90ba9f9b01f9bc9c51ab642163d2b4e145dce575ce1d9f0cce5f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9314f07ac8cd90ba9f9b01f9bc9c51ab642163d2b4e145dce575ce1d9f0cce5f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Vista\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/author\\\/vista\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Be vigilant not to become a crime statistic | Vista","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Be vigilant not to become a crime statistic","og_description":"With the Festive Season upon us, residents are warned to be vigilant of crime trends in their area, especially while out and about, and shopping.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/","og_site_name":"Vista","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus","article_published_time":"2022-11-15T14:21:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-20T21:08:55+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":960,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/9390332e43d14cd3b11777e5683f179b.jpg?fit=1280%2C960&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Vista","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Vista","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/"},"author":{"name":"Vista","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/person\/21061a6ffd102003447c400f78cc5bfe"},"headline":"Be vigilant not to become a crime statistic","datePublished":"2022-11-15T14:21:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-20T21:08:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/"},"wordCount":427,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/9390332e43d14cd3b11777e5683f179b.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2022","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/","name":"Be vigilant not to become a crime statistic | Vista","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/9390332e43d14cd3b11777e5683f179b.jpg","datePublished":"2022-11-15T14:21:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-20T21:08:55+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/9390332e43d14cd3b11777e5683f179b.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/9390332e43d14cd3b11777e5683f179b.jpg","width":1280,"height":960,"caption":"Do not use cellphones while driving. This attracts opportunistic criminals to break windows and grab cellphones (smash and grab). Photo: Stock"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/be-vigilant-not-to-become-a-crime-statistic-20221115-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Be vigilant not to become a crime statistic"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/","name":"Vista News","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization","name":"Vista News","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/vista-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/vista-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Vista News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/vistanewspaper"],"description":"Vista is a regional newspaper based in Welkom, the capital of Matjhabeng Municipality, in the central Free State. Vista, an English\/Afrikaans publication, first brought news to the community on 23 April 1971, with the following message on the front page: \u201cWe are here to write about the Goldfield and its people. We are here to serve the area in which we find ourselves, and with the help of our readers \u2013 who refine us with their constructive criticism.","email":"vistanews@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"+27573571304","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/person\/21061a6ffd102003447c400f78cc5bfe","name":"Vista","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9314f07ac8cd90ba9f9b01f9bc9c51ab642163d2b4e145dce575ce1d9f0cce5f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9314f07ac8cd90ba9f9b01f9bc9c51ab642163d2b4e145dce575ce1d9f0cce5f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9314f07ac8cd90ba9f9b01f9bc9c51ab642163d2b4e145dce575ce1d9f0cce5f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Vista"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/author\/vista\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/9390332e43d14cd3b11777e5683f179b.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":57029,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/always-be-vigilant-say-police-20220721-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":55664,"position":0},"title":"Always be vigilant, say police","author":"Vista","date":"21 July 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Goldfields has experienced a spate of kidnappings of foreign business people, together with an increasing number of high-profile business people falling victim to kidnappers who demand high ransoms.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/222b0a1ef2bb4bffa89475b3eb1c4d31.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/222b0a1ef2bb4bffa89475b3eb1c4d31.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/222b0a1ef2bb4bffa89475b3eb1c4d31.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55447,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/mandrax-worth-r24-000-seized-in-welkom-20221128-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":55664,"position":1},"title":"Mandrax worth R24 000 seized in Welkom","author":"Vista","date":"28 November 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Acting on information the police raided a house in Bronville and seized 300 Mandrax tablets with the street value of R24 000.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bb2e513781a44a039a9fe62205250871.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bb2e513781a44a039a9fe62205250871.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bb2e513781a44a039a9fe62205250871.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56526,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/odendaalsrus-residents-urged-to-remain-vigilant-in-fight-against-crime-20220906\/","url_meta":{"origin":55664,"position":2},"title":"Odendaalsrus residents urged to remain vigilant in fight against crime","author":"Vista","date":"7 September 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Several cases of kidnappings, business- and house robberies have been reported at the Odendaalsrus Police Station.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55453,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/mandrax-worth-r24-000-seized-in-welkom-20221128\/","url_meta":{"origin":55664,"position":3},"title":"Mandrax worth R24 000 seized in Welkom","author":"Vista","date":"28 November 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Acting on information the police raided a house in Bronville and seized 300 Mandrax tablets with the street value of R24 000.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ced09507043043ee83cd18b1fd0f64ab.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ced09507043043ee83cd18b1fd0f64ab.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ced09507043043ee83cd18b1fd0f64ab.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55682,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/odendaalsrus-woman-67-arrested-after-discovery-of-stolen-copper-20221111\/","url_meta":{"origin":55664,"position":4},"title":"Odendaalsrus woman (67) arrested after discovery of stolen copper","author":"Vista","date":"11 November 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The 67-year-old wife of an Odendaalsrus electrician was arrested after being found in possession of copper cable worth R89 000, belonging to the Matjhabeng Municipality.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f1f7eb336dba42c7b1891dbb5b15cd21.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f1f7eb336dba42c7b1891dbb5b15cd21.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f1f7eb336dba42c7b1891dbb5b15cd21.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f1f7eb336dba42c7b1891dbb5b15cd21.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55981,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/two-arrested-after-gruesome-find-20221024-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":55664,"position":5},"title":"Two arrested after gruesome find","author":"Vista","date":"26 October 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The gruesome discovery of the body of a man whose throat had been slit has sent shock waves through the community of Thabong.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/fd7d97926efb47d3acf21f954846896b.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/fd7d97926efb47d3acf21f954846896b.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/fd7d97926efb47d3acf21f954846896b.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/fd7d97926efb47d3acf21f954846896b.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/fd7d97926efb47d3acf21f954846896b.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Vista","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55664\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55664"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=55664"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=55664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}