âââ 13:00 Sat, 19 Dec 2020
The financial hardship brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has made people more desperate and could lead to a further escalation in the typical increases of certain crimes during the festive season.
This is according to Fidelity Services Group CEO Wahl Bartmann and Bull Security operations manager French Jooste, who recently spoke to MyBroadband about what they expect with regards to crime over the holiday period.
Bartmann explained that Fidelity had observed a significant increase in opportunistic crime such as smash and grabs, cellphone snatchings, and muggings.
âWe are still seeing a great deal of unemployment and financial strain as evidenced by all the latest research,â Bartmann said. âMany citizens may have become more desperate due to job losses, or loss of income and therefore are more prone to crime.â