Be careful in Rhodes Park – SAPS
Members of the community are again urged to be careful when visiting Rhodes Park.
Warrant Officer Marx Crouse, from the Cleveland SAPS, said a group of about seven to nine suspects are targeting visitors.
“People are being targeted in the park. There were incidents where people with cameras and video cameras were robbed. People taking wedding photographs are also being targeted. People should be careful, especially when it is late or dark,” he said. He was talking at a recent Kensington Sector Security Forum meeting.
W/O Crouse said joint operations are being held between the Cleveland SAPS and Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) to address concerns.
Captain Hendrik Kotze, from the Cleveland SAPS, also discussed crime in the park at a recent Cleveland Community Police Forum meeting (CCPF).
He said a crime awareness campaign was held locally.
“However, several of the visitors come from outside the Cleveland SAPS precinct. Late evenings and nights are a concern. There are people who are staying in the park at night. They know the park well and it is difficult for us to constantly patrol the area. However, we are going to work closely with the JCPZ,” said Capt Kotze.
Several incidents have taken place in, and close to, the park in recent months.
The EXPRESS previously published an article in which Ms Belinda Brooks, a Kensington resident and frequent user of Rhodes Park, said the park is full of vagrants and drug dealers. She also said people are mugged there on a regular basis.
The EXPRESS also published an article about a man who was robbed of his cellular phone and wallet early in May. Two children were attacked while on their way to school.
A woman was also stabbed several times close to the park. The suspect used the park as an escape route. Residents with information about criminals operating in the park can contact their local SAPS.
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