Police aware of crime spike in Lewisham, residents warned
Police know of the crime spike in Sector 9, but residents feel their neighbourhood is becoming a prison.
After numerous attacks on Lewisham residents who say crime is spiking in the area, police say they have increased their visibility.
Sergeant Tshepiso Mashale, police spokesperson said there has been an increase in crime in the Lewisham and Mindalore (Sector 9) areas recently.
As reported by the News earlier this week, Gert Barnard, who was shot outside his home in January, said they rarely see police patrolling the southern side of Lewisham.
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Barnard said hearing gunshots at night, “is nothing new”.
Mashale said crime hotspot warning placards have been put up against street poles in Lewisham, but residents feel it doesn’t change anything.
Another Lewisham resident, who wishes to remain anonymous for safety reasons, said her home constantly is being targeted.
“We constantly have to replace big lights around our house, as they keep throwing it out with rocks,” she said.
She also believes that police visibility has decreased ever since the incident of the execution-style shooting of an armed suspect by police officers in Lewisham late last year.
Read the story here: [GRAPHIC VIDEO] Suspect lies in pool of blood after ‘execution’
But Mashale said with the help of the Sector 9 Community Policing Forum and private security companies, the area is still patrolled regularly.
“The problem with these areas is that there are so many, and easily accessible, escape routes for criminals to use,” she said.
In light of increased housebreaking, robbery, theft and burglary incidents, Mashale advised that residents in these areas be extra vigilant when it comes to their safety and that of their families.
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