Cape Town Central leads the country for the second year running for thefts from vehicles.
Cape Town Central Community Police Forum (CPF) chairman Marc Truss told the meeting at the police station last Thursday that while several cases included remote-jamming, most were break-ins.
In the 2017/2018 crime statistics, the station topped the list with the most reported theft-out-of-motor-vehicles cases and property-related crimes.
Cape Town Central police spokesman Captain Ezra October said the volume of theft-out-of-motor-vehicle cases was increasing, and the crime remained a top priority for the station.
The meeting heard that despite warnings, people still left their valuables in their cars.
“Criminals are watching and they are not stupid. We need to put in more effort on this even though sometimes it feels like our message falls on deaf ears,” he said.
“We have to stop this; we can’t be number one for the third year running. The second year running is bad enough for us,” Mr Truss said.
Meanwhile, according to the CPF, the number of women committing crime in the city centre is on the rise.
Captain October said that assessment was based on crimes reported at the station in the past month. Just last week, two women were arrested for theft-out-of motor vehicles in Gardens.
The meeting heard that the pair had been accomplices in various break-ins in Gardens over the last month. Anthony Rees of the Gardens Neighbourhood Watch said they were involved in the last two of four listed cases. Their male accomplice was arrested in Roodehek Street last Sunday.
ATM fraud cases have also shown an increase, according to Mr Truss. He said a syndicate was behind the ATM crimes and its members were using different cars to stay ahead of licence-plate recognition cameras.
The meeting also flagged the number of armed robberies that have rocked the city centre of late.
Hot on the heels of the jewellery heist at the Mount Nelson Hotel last month (“Mount Nelson robbers caught in Claremont,” Atlantic Sun, July 25”) robbers struck at the Uwe Koetter Jewellers at the Cape Quarter Lifestyle Village in Green Point on Wednesday, July 31.
Four men, one armed with a firearm and others with hammers, broke the front display, took jewellery pieces and fled the scene. “I’m appealing to the members of the public to be the eyes and ears for information and to assist us in taking back our streets,” Mr Truss said.
