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Tuesday 29 March 2011
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Lakeside crime on the rise DALEEN FOUCHÉ
CRIME in Lakeside is said to be on the increase, after an attempted armed robbery and an attempted hijacking last week. Apart from these incidents, a rape suspect was arrested in the Zandvlei nature reserve. At 09:55 on Sunday 27 March, two men aged 25 and 23, armed with a replica gun, attempted to rob a Lakeside resident in his flat in Main Road. The two suspects were observed by the Mountain Men security service while walking on Boyes Drive from Kalk Bay to Lakeside. Allan Dillon, the CEO of Mountain Men, says the two suspects attempted to enter a flat in Aladdin Court, but the resident fought them off. The Mountain Men caught the suspects outside Aladdin Court and handed them over to the Muizenberg police. Captain Stephen Knapp, spokesperson for the Muizenberg police, says both suspects appeared in the Muizenberg Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The outcome of the appearance could not be determined at the time of going to print. Dillon says he believes the two suspects could be the same suspects who robbed a Kalk Bay couple two weeks ago (“Kalk Bay couple robbed at gunpoint”, People’s Post, 22 March 2011). The couple was held up on Tuesday 15 March in their home in Kalk Bay by two suspects with a gun. On Saturday 26 March, a man (32) was arrested for allegedly raping a woman in the Zandvlei nature reserve. The man was apprehended by the Mountain Men, who handed him over to the Muizenberg police. Tony Rozemeyer, spokesperson for the Muizenberg Community Policing Forum (CPF), says the Zandvlei nature reserve is a “high risk area”. He says that this is not the first rape to take place in the reserve, adding that the reeds decrease visibility
in the vlei area. He says a meeting was held on the subject of putting up signage warning people that the vlei is a dangerous area, but adds that nothing has come of this decision. On Sunday 20 March at 12:35, a Lakeside woman was threatened with a gun while suspects demanded her bag in an attempted hijacking in Approach Road. The resident (45), who did not want to be named, stopped at a friend’s house, rolled down the window of her car and called him. When he did not answer, she grabbed her phone to give him a missed call. She saw a white Toyota Tazz “screeching up” behind her in her rear view mirror. A man, who “looked like a gangster”, jumped out of the moving car and ran towards her. She immediately locked her car and rolled up her window but was too slow. The woman says the man held a gun to her head and shouted “bag” while trying to open the door. “I threw my bag at him, rolled over to the passenger seat and jumped out the car and onto the ground.” She then heard the gun go off. She screamed for her friend, who came running out of the house. The suspect got back into the car and they sped off. “Since the incident I have been very skittish and refuse to drive at night.” Knapp confirmed that a case of armed robbery had been opened at the Muizenberg police station. The father of the victim says the area used to be “peaceful”. He referred to the spate of burglaries in Constantia and Bergvliet, and says it looks as if the problem is “spilling over” into Lakeside. He feels that the gang-related unrest in Lavender Hill could also contribute to the spate of crimes in Lakeside. Last week People’s Post reported on an armed robbery at the home of a 90-year-old Lakeside resident (“Po-
Watch nabs toy gun robber DALEEN FOUCHÉ
THE GOOD LIFE: A fisherman is seen in the early morning hours on Sunday 17 March on Fish Hoek beach, at the end of the catwalk, while the golden sunrise lights up the ocean. Photo: Gwen Rea lice may crack robbery spree”, People’s Post, 22 March 2011). According to the police, four suspects asked the resident for food before entering the house. Subsequent to the incident, Muizenberg police arrested four suspects believed to be linked to similar armed robberies in areas such as Constantia. The suspects involved in the Lakeside case were refused bail during their hearing on Wednesday 16 March, and are awaiting their next trial date in Pollsmoor Prison. Dillon says crime is on the increase in all areas, including Lakeside. He says most crimes are directly linked to drugs, but adds that there are many other contributing factors besides the socio-economic circumstances. He says most criminals are “constantly” selecting and de-selecting victims, based on their perception of
how vulnerable someone is. Dillon also says people who decide not to lay charges contribute to the growing crime rate, because criminals get the message that there are no consequences to theft. He says negligence adds to crime in the area. Criminals are “opportunistic” and are scouting different areas to see who has left their gate open. Rozemeyer is also concerned about crime in Lakeside, and says it could be the work of a syndicate operating in the suburb. He asks people to be vigilant at all times. Knapp says police cannot measure crime trends over a short period of time, but adds that the police do take note of the current crime trends. The Muizenberg police have increased their patrols in the Lakeside area. “We would like to commend Mountain Men for their sterling work in fighting crime.”
NEIGHBOURHOOD watch members and the Fish Hoek police apprehended a robber wielding a “very convincing” replica gun on Sunday evening 27 March. The suspect will appear in the Simon’s Town Magistrate’s Court today. Warrant Officer Chris Cloete, spokesperson for the Fish Hoek police, said four teenagers were playing soccer in Poplar Street in Silverglades when two men passing by pulled out a gun. They robbed the teenagers of their cellphones and car and motorcycle keys. Cloete says the suspects then fled. The teenagers told one of their mothers what had happened, and she in turn called the Fish Hoek police. Cloete says police and local neighbourhood watches blocked off all the exits out of Fish Hoek, and managed to arrest one of the robbers. “The suspect was caught in Clovelly while he was on his way to Kalk Bay, and all four cellphones and a replica gun were found on him,” says Cloete. He says the car and motorcycle keys were not recovered. Cloete says this arrest demonstrated the good working relationship between the Fish Hoek neighbourhood watches and the police. Andre Blom, chairperson of the Fish Hoek Community Policing Forum (CPF), says the suspect was apprehended due to the quick reaction of the neighbourhood watches. He says the radios they used during patrols were “very handy” in such situations, and enabled members to act quickly. Four members of the neighbourhood watches caught the suspects.
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