Site 5 an assault and robbery hot spot

Table View CPF projects coordinator Anthony Bantich speaks about future operations and the problems faced by Table View residents.

Robberies and assaults are rife in Site 5, while car thefts and thefts from cars are a problem in Table View, say police.

Table View police’s Warrant Officer Riaan Prins told the meeting of about 30 people, among them Ward 113 councillor Joy McCarthy, that 133 crimes had been reported over the past month for Sector 3 – a policing area that covers Table View, Sunridge, West Riding, Flamingo Vlei and Site 5.

Of these, there had been 24 thefts – 21 thefts from a vehicle and three vehicle thefts. Vehicle theft was a problem in other Table View policing sectors as well, said Warrant Officer Prins, during the meeting at Kingsgate Fellowship Church on Thursday May 17.

“In the last two weeks, there have been 15 cars stolen in the other two sectors of Table View and it is quite out of hand.”

He said there had also been 14 cases of burglary in Blaauwberg Road.

Meanwhile, Site 5 accounted for most of the sector’s assaults and robberies.

“We think these cases may be a result of alcohol abuse. We are busy doing operations with law enforcement to try to stop this,” said Warrant Officer Prins.

Site 5 community leader Fezeka Mrwetyana said there was a problem with small shebeens mushrooming in the area.

“Often, we have break-ins, and the people that are targeted the most are the shacks and the ones that only have women living in them. These burglars break in and take cash and appliances, which they can then sell to buy drugs.

“Speaking of drugs, we have a problem with these drug dealers, and most of them are well known to the residents,” she said.

Warrant Officer Prins said it was difficult for the police to help if residents didn’t report crime, but Ms Mrwetyana said it wasn’t that people didn’t want to come forward, but they were afraid to do so and feared for both their safety and the safety of their families.

“My house was burnt down once, and I almost died in the fire because of reporting incidents in the area. So people are afraid of getting targeted for such things. But we still do what we do because we care for our community and want to see a better environment,” she said

Site 5 residents are also getting robbed on their way to work and school in the mornings.

Dr McCarthy suggested the community adopt the Walking Bus “safety in numbers” initiative, which involves residents walking together in groups, sometimes escorting children to and from school.

“I feel that the robbers have no issue targeting people that are walking on their own, but when people are walking in a group, they won’t dare approach,” she said.

The next Table View Sector 3 meeting will be held at the same venue on Thursday June 21.