Cape Town - The Hout Bay Community Crime Prevention (CCP) security group has urged community members to be vigilant when walking on the road between the police station circle and the graveyard because multiple robberies had occurred on that road.
The warning comes after a spike in crime in the past two weeks. According to the security service, on Friday afternoon just outside Imizamo Yethu clinic a stationary vehicle’s window got smashed, and a handbag was stolen.
In another incident a rock was thrown at a car on Friday night, and most recently a runner was robbed at gunpoint outside Darg on Saturday morning.
The Lower Valley Road/Nooitgedacht and Penzance areas have seen more house burglaries. About four premises in Valley Road, all neighbouring each other, were broken into and valuable items were stolen.
There has also been an increase in street robberies, and in almost all instances the suspects had firearms. The hardest hit areas are Penzance, in the vicinity of the SAPS circle and Imizamo Yethu clinic, as well as Imizamo Yethu in general.
“Since the beginning of last week there has been a substantial increase in crime. An important factor to consider is that these are only the cases reported to us. Furthermore, numerous residents have declined to open cases with the police out of fear of reprisal.
“Hout Bay is also facing a surge in thefts out of motor vehicles. It is a mix of outside crews using remote jammers at shopping centres as well as local opportunists smashing the windows of cars outside residences.
“The last notable category that there has been an increase, is theft of cables and metal fittings (taps, lights, pipes, house numbers etc). Both Deep Blue and the police managed to arrest a number of suspects, including three suspects who turned out to be known criminals carrying house-breaking tools.”
Hout Bay Community Police Forum (CPF) chairperson Anthony Chemaly said the spike in crime was directly linked to the large-scale parole of non-violent offenders two weeks ago.
“We had a meeting with the police discussing the evidence caught on camera by the CCTV cameras; we also asked them to apply pressure so that arrests can be made. Furthermore we highlighted to residents to be aware of the spike in crime recorded in the past two weeks.”
The ANC’s Johnson Mayeki Branch deputy chairperson Roscoe Jacobs said the criminal activities along Hout Bay main road between the graveyard and Hout Bay police were the result of opportunism.