Cape Town Central Community Police Forum (CPF) held its monthly meeting at the station on Thursday April 4, during which acting station commander Brigadier Gerda van Niekerk was present for the first time since she was recently appointed.
Addressing those present at the fuller than usual open meeting, Brigadier van Niekerk said common robbery was still one of the biggest concerns in the precinct.
She said when the annual crime statistics are released by the Minister of Police later this year, she predicted that Cape Town Central police will take the number one spot for the most crime, which she said was sad, because police and security partners in the precinct were working well, and arrests have increased significantly.
“My mission for the year is to decrease the volumes of robbery.”
She said due to the influx of people visiting the city centre everyday, especially for work, the statistics show more crime than at other stations. “Cape Town has a residential community, a busy nightlife and a business community. Those areas take different kinds of policing, and that makes a precinct like Cape Town Central unique.”
Crime intelligence officer Captain Armand Brinks reported that common robbery and robbery with weapons – mainly with knives – were still the top crimes, especially in the city centre. He said the transport hubs were the biggest problem areas by far, with the Foreshore also becoming a concern.
He said they have also been experiencing problems at traffic lights, especially in the city centre, where cellphones are being grabbed through open windows of vehicles.
Meanwhile, theft out of motor vehicle and burglary seemed to be concerning in the residential areas of Gardens, Oranjezicht, Tamboerskloof, Vredehoek and Zonnebloem.
CPF chairperson Marc Truss urged the community to be “eyes and ears” – “If you see something, report it. You also need to warn people about crimes.”
He said people leaving items in cars and on seats creates opportunities for crime to be committed. “We have to make people aware. We have to work together.“
Mr Truss also highlighted the ongoing concern of ATM fraud and tourists being robbed by conmen who try to convince them that they needed a “permit” to walk in the streets.
They would then direct the visitors to ATMs, or a device that police call the keypad, where the “permits” are supposedly paid for and issued. The visitors would then tap their ATM cards on the “keypad” or the PIN noted with the card swopped or stolen, and huge amounts of money drawn from the accounts fraudulently.
Brigadier Van Niekerk said there was an increase in fraud with more people reporting the “keypad” as the method of fraud.
She said along with security authorities, including the City Central Improvement District and the City of Cape Town’s law enforcement, they have started gathering information and had made successful arrests. “This is a very good example of a good partnership the community working together, and we were successful.”
She urged the community and neighbourhood watches to keep reporting crime and to partner with the police to reduce crime in the precinct.
The CPF meets on the first Thursday of every month at the Akker Hall at the Cape Town Central police station in Buitenkant Street. The meeting starts at 8am and is an open meeting.
For any issues or more information about the CPF, contact info@gpokcid.co.za .
