Guest house forum up and running

A recently established guest house forum in the Cleveland SAPS precinct has started well.

Warrant Officer Marx Crouse, the sector 1 manager, said guest house owners are attending these meetings to discuss safety.

The forum was established following several crimes at guest houses. There have been several incidents in which people were followed from the airport to local places of accommodation and robbed.

There were also other crimes, such as criminals posing as workers in guest houses, within the precinct.

The latest incident took place at a guest house in Kensington on March 24.

The EXPRESS previously reported that a suspect died at the guest house.

At the time, Constable Mpho Mashakane the Cleveland SAPS communications officer, said three guests left their bags in their room and went shopping. When they returned, they found a man in their room.

He told them he was working at the guest house. The guests then realised their bags had been opened and searched.

One of the guests grabbed him and he collapsed. He died in the room.

The man was found in possession of keys, which he was using to open rooms at the guest house.

W/O Crouse said the man had a laptop, backpack and a file, used to file down keys to gain access to the rooms.

Earlier this year, the EXPRESS published an article about two dignitaries from the Angolan Parliament and their wives who were robbed in Cyrildene.

A man was also recently shot at a guest house in Kensington. W/O Crouse said the man was asked by a person exchanging his cash at the airport where he would be staying and he provided these details.

W/O Crouse said a syndicate is targeting people, especially people from other countries visiting Johannesburg for medical treatment, who leave the airport.

He urged all other guest house owners in the precinct to attend the meetings held to discuss security.

@JoziReporter