Prevalence of crime in the CBD on the rise, says Polokwane police
Kgole Thapedi, a local resident, told Review how he recently helped a victim from being robbed by three men on the corner of Grobler and Bok Street
POLOKWANE – In a random act of kindness, local resident Kgole Thapedi recently helped a robbery victim on the corner Grobler and Bok Street after getting food.
Thapedi explained that he had gone to buy food from Galitos and as he drove off from collecting his food, he saw three men walking on the left side of the road, after the robots towards the garage in Bok Street that’s been renovated, and another on the right hand side of the road.
“As I passed the robots, one guy started running to the right side of the road and ensured he made that move right before I could pass. That made me suspicious, as I decreased my driving speed to observe. They waited for me to move further. Continuing at that low speed, I used my side mirror to look back, that’s when I saw the one guy trip the other. I immediately made a u-turn and rushed toward them. That’s when the victim stood up, took his bag and ran to the garage. The robbers ran in the opposite direction,” he explained.
Thapedi further explained that when he got to the garage, hewas informed by the victim that he only got to Polokwane as he was meeting with an uncle who requested to collect him at “RSA”. Thapedi then took to Twitter to warn other residents.
https://twitter.com/KgoleThapedii/status/1135608622300520454
Warrant Officer Lesiba Ramoshaba, Polokwane police’s communications officer explained that serious challenges are felt in the CBD, since it is a highly populated area and therefore, crime is also more prevalent here.
“We urge people not to leave anything of value in their vehicles, especially in full view of those passing by. When there is nothing to steal, it removes the urge for criminals to break into the cars.”
The police furthermore request residents to not hitch-hike, saying it makes them vulnerable to crime. “People often get robbed in this way. The best thing to do is to use public transport because it’s more reliable,” he said.
He said residents should work closely with the police to fight crime.
“We need a partnership with the community in the CPF. If people have sensitive information that they are not comfortable sharing with any police officer, they can get in contact with the Vispol commander or the Station Commander,” Ramoshaba said.
