The City of Cape Town says it is unaware of calls by Table View residents to install crime-hot-spot warning signs along Potsdam Road.
Last week, Table View civic organisations raised concerns about a spate of robberies in the area.
Table View police spokeswoman Captain Adriana Chandler said there had been an increase in robberies along Potsdam Road, mostly cellphones taken from cars at intersections.
“The person is either talking on the phone or the phone is easily accessible to the thieves. People walking whilst texting or talking on their phone are also prone to become victims of robberies, where the phones are grabbed out of the hands of the victim,” said Captain Chandler.
Table View Community Police Forum chairman David Harris added that they had asked the City a year ago to install “hot spot” warning signs at the location but had heard nothing further.
These would be warning signs similar to those along Jakes Gerwel Drive past Langa township, a known hot spot with a history of smash-and-grab incidents.
However, the City told Tabletalk it was unaware of such a request.
Mayoral committee member for urban mobility Rob Quintas said they would only consider the signs if Potsdam Road was a proven high-risk area that was likely to remain as such.
“Often crimes are transient in nature and will move elsewhere when warning signs are erected. Jakes Gerwel Drive is a key link used by unfamiliar road users travelling to and from the Cape Town International Airport via the N7 and West Coast region, often in the early hours of the morning or late at night. As such, there was a strong motivation with supporting evidence to justify the signage at this site,” said Mr Quintas.
Signage of that nature should be considered as the exception rather than the norm, he said.
If there was a specific problem intersection along Potsdam Road, the City would need to be notified, he said.
“We would therefore need to have clear focus locations with proven history of criminal activity before considering similar signage along Potsdam Road.”
Ward councillor Joy Solomons said that with the many changes in council after last year’s local government elections, the issue could have fallen off the council’s agenda.
Ms Solomons said she had raised the matter again in a motion at the last sub-council meeting and she was expecting an answer on Thursday November 17.
