Crime Busters
Weighing in on Crime in the CBD
Around three weeks ago, Review shared two videos taken in the central business district of Polokwane of two separate incidents of theft, highlighting just how easy it is for your valuables to be stolen from you.
Residents share their stories
Residents responded by sharing their stories of how they were personally robbed or how things were stolen out of their vehicles.
One woman told Review she had recently became the victim of a crime for the second time when a man entered her vehicle on Grobler Street, looking for something that he could steal. “Luckily my bag was in my boot, but he was very cheeky and was completely inside my car scratching. I just screamed and he looked at me like I was nuts. I have since changed my route home from work because this is actually the second time. They stole a handbag right off my lap with the window open on the very same street,” she said.
Another resident added that in the past month, a friend of his was driving on Market Street when she became a victim of CBD crime. “She was waiting for the robot to turn green when a man from the other side of the road took her cellphone from the seat and ran away.
Daniel Masipa, another resident, told Review that he was walking down Hans Van Rensburg Street sorting out business on his phone, when a person came from behind and grabbed the phone out of his hand.
Review then spoke to Polokwane police spokesperson, WO Lesiba Ramoshaba who said police are patrolling the CBD and are trying to be more visible in the city in an effort to deter criminals from their activities. However, he says the biggest problem is that people do not report cases, which means the police cannot be as effective as they would be when they have the knowledge of things happening within the CBD.
“I once again call on the people of the city to report cases and to let the police know what happens in their areas. This is the only way that we as the police can take hands with our community and be proactive to put these criminals where they belong, behind bars,” he said.
riana@nmgroup.co.za
Beware of pick-pocketers
Walking in the CBD is the only way some people are able to get around town. Walking to and from a taxi or employees walking between buildings, it’s not only a form of exercise but it’s also a means of getting around.
However, people walking in the CBD have been compromised by pick-pocketers and thieves who openly rob them without fear.
Review spoke to a street vendor on Market Street, who wished to remain anonymous out of fear for his safety said the people who commit these type of crimes are well known to street vendors.
“They operate in the same area and people who do business around there know them very well. One of the ways they steal things from people is by standing behind them at a traffic light. They usually work in groups of two to three where one would start to talk to the soon to be victim while the other would be trying to take other wallets or purses from handbags as well as from the person’s pockets, ” Review was told.
In other cases, a person would be marked for a robbery if he/she is carrying a lot of bags.
“One of the guys will bump into the person, causing them to drop one or two items and a second guy will run up and grab a wallet or phone,” the vendor told Review.
Here are some tips to try and avoid becoming a victim of this crime:
1. Be aware of your surroundings.
2. Try and walk in groups when going to the CBD.
3. Try and avoid conversations with people you don’t know.
4. Do not wear any valuable jewellery on your person that can be easily seen.
5. Where possible, hide wallets and purses out of sight.
riana@nmgroup.co.za
How crime is affecting businesses in the CBD
We now know how crime is affecting people in the CBD, but surely businesses are affected too?
With this in mind, Review spoke to a man who runs a business in Rissik street, in the midst of a crime hotspot, about how crime in the area has had an effect on his income.
The man told Review that he has been running his business for over 12 years now and says he is sad to say that things are getting worse every year.
“Crimes that we have to deal with are people losing items from their cars as they are broken into, people being robbed when walking out of the shop, among other things. Some businesses in this area run at a loss on a daily basis because this side of the city is not safe,” he said.
He added that another issue is car guards who look after cars and then either threaten to or damage cars when they do not get paid or get paid enough. “This causes people to stay away from the area, meaning that we as businesses lose income because people feel unsafe.”
When asked about police visibility in the area and if the statement that crime is less every year is true or not, the business owner said that this in not the case.
“I do not see police patrolling and I do not see crime decreasing. I believe that people just stop reporting because nothing is done and every day there is a new crime that we need to learn about to prevent money loss,” he added.
He also says that while crime is happening on the outside, his and other businesses are also being affected by shoplifting, which costs him between R1 000 and R5 000 a month in losses.
“It has forced me to do extra building and upgrading to my store and everything is now hidden behind shelves. This also meant that I needed to get more employees to assist customers, meaning that because other people steal, I am losing more money that I need to spend to keep my doors open. In fact if it was not for the price of the rent, I would have moved away from here a long time ago.”
The businessman says that he is only one of many who call on the police to help them keep their businesses open by helping to prevent crime in the CBD.
riana@nmgroup.co.za
Getting the lowdown on crime from the CBD CPF
With all the information we had received, Review decided to speak to the Community Policing Forum (CPF), who are in charge of handling crime in the CBD, to find out what issues they have come across and what their stance on crime in the area is.
Shaheed Mohamed told Review that some of the most common crimes in the area are items being stolen from people and out of motor vehicles. He highlighted the areas between Dorp and Dahl Street, spanning from Excelsior Street to Grobler as crime hotspots that people should take note of.
“There are countless times when people driving with open windows get targeted. In some instances, the criminals have even gone up to store management and told them out right that they will be operating near their businesses and for them to not have their shops targeted they must stay out of the situation,” he told Review.
Mohamed said that several businesses in the area have come together and organaised a street patrol, who get paid to keep an eye out for crime in the streets of the CBD.
He added that people who are targeted are mostly people from outside the city and specifically people from other countries.
“The criminals say they do not want to target their own people because they want the people who do not belong here to go away,” Mohamed said he was told.
He urges victims of crime in the area to open cases with the police. “Even if you are told that there is no way the police can find a person who just robbed you, the case serves as proof to the police of an area where there is a problem and they can then bring in more patrols or build cases to stop more crimes from happening,” he added.
Mohamed shared the following with Review:
1. When walking, do so in well-lit busy streets and in a group, if possible.
2. Be sure that you know all emergency numbers or make sure they are accessible.
3. Always let someone know where you are going and how long you will be gone.
4. Trust your instinct.Avoid going into a congested street where you cannot walk properly, that is where you will find criminals pick pocketing.
5. Avoid displaying valuables where criminals can see them.
6. When you are in a new city or area that you do not know, make sure to get all the information of safe and unsafe areas and where possible, get someone from the area to direct you so you do not get lost and end up where it is unsafe.
riana@nmgroup.co.za
VOX POPS
It is important to feel safe in the city you live in and even though we try, we can’t avoid crime if it’s happening all around us. With that in mind, the journalists at the Review set out on to the streest of Polokwane to ask residents one vital question: Do you feel safe in Polokwane? Here’s what they had to say:
