Brixton police agree that crime has decreased in the suburb.
Jeanette Backhoff, the spokesperson for Brixton police station, said, “we are really trying to make Melville a crime-free area. We have so many tourists that come to the area.” If a spike in crime occurs, police try to be proactive and put a stop to it before it gets worse.
Backhoff said pavement snatching is not a major problem, but snatching incidents that are reported mostly occur in 7th Street. “We have a problem with people leaving their possessions unattended and then it goes missing.
“However, crime in Melville has gone down. Our [biggest] struggle is theft of motor vehicles and theft out of motor vehicles.”
Police know of three cars stolen in the area this month, but Backhoff believes even this type of crime has decreased dramatically.
Backhoff agrees that people do not always report crimes. She urged residents to do so so that the police can monitor problem areas.
“You cannot trust all the car guards either. We are profiling them, and checking for criminal records.”
Backhoff ultimately believes that Melville is becoming a safer area that more people want to visit. This will probably affect the surrounding areas positively as well, she said.
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