Residents in the Bishop Lavis area warned of an increase in robberies

CPF chairperson Graham Lindhorst said the increase in these robberies follows after police had been undertaking numerous operations in the area. File Picture: David Ritchie/African News Agency

CPF chairperson Graham Lindhorst said the increase in these robberies follows after police had been undertaking numerous operations in the area. File Picture: David Ritchie/African News Agency

Published Jul 27, 2022

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Cape Town - The Bishop Lavis community policing forum (CPF) has warned Bonteheuwel, Montana and residents around Airport Industria of robberies that have increased dramatically in the police precinct.

The CPF said that the times and days of robberies reported were mostly on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays between the hours of 9am and 9pm.

Lepelhout Street, Bonteheuwel Avenue, and Netreg Roads were deemed as problematic in Bonteheuwel, while most incidents in Montana were reported in Pallotti Road and Borchard's Quarry Road at the Airport Industrial.

CPF chairperson Graham Lindhorst said the increase in these robberies follows after police had been undertaking numerous operations in the area.

“There have been quite a lot of reports of robberies that we have received from these locations which have increased drastically in the recent past. This follows numerous operations in the precinct where the police have been confiscating drugs.

“When you close down one stream of cash making, you then displace that crime and they now opt for other avenues of making money, which has resulted in these robberies and hijackings.

“With the train services that have resumed in the main line we caution that the commuters would be soft targets and we call on them to take precautions,” he said.

Bonteheuwel ward councillor Angus McKenzie said these robberies in the ward, especially in Lepelhout Street, have been driven by load shedding.

“Lepelhout Street is where we have our tennis club and where vandalism of the electricity infrastructure has resulted in darkness in early mornings and this is when these robberies take place.

“Some of the incidents were purely driven by load shedding which was excessively bad for places such as Bonteheuwel Avenue where during these times people travelled between 6am and 8.30am,” said McKenzie.

Lindhorst said the CPF had put actions in place to deal with this, including constant patrolling in these hot spots.

“Besides law enforcement agencies that will increase their visibility, the Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) will also patrol these streets.

“We have deployed neighbourhood watches on the two train stations in Bonteheuwel and Bishop Lavis and also asked Prasa to deploy their people because it’s important that they also come to the party,” he said.

Lindhorst appealed for more community members to join the NHW’s in their sectors.