Crime spike alarms Mvoti Watch

THE Mvoti Neighbourhood Watch (MNW) has expressed concern following an alarming spike in crime in its community. According to chairman, Grant Cockburn, there have been 10 incidents in the last six weeks.

“While we are lucky that we have not had any home invasions or hijackings, this is still a major concern, as our area had previously been very quiet,” he explained.

The most concerning incident, said Cockburn, involved a family that just moved to the area on Melrose Place.

“They woke up the morning feeling groggy, only to discover that a number of valuables had been stolen and that an attempt had been made to steal their vehicle. They believe they had been gassed,” he said. This was followed by three other incidents on the same road.

The majority of the incidents occur in the early mornings around 3am and 4am, and in most cases the criminals are looking for items they can carry, such as laptops, cell phones and TV’s.

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Cockburn said they believed the criminals are gaining access to the homes by fence hopping between properties.

“The Redhill Cemetery remains a concern as we can see criminals are using Girvan Avenue and Ryde Place to gain entry into our community,” he said.

For the last 18 months the watch has appealed to the City to repair the dilapidated fencing around the cemetery, but for the most part their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

Cockburn urged the residents to take some responsibility for their safety.

“On patrols at night we have noticed people leaving their gates open, who have not armed their alarms or failed to ensure that their properties are well lit. I know people are all trying to cut costs and there is often the mentality that “it will never happen to me” but things have changed and people need to be more proactive to ensure that they don’t become part of the statistics,” he said.

The MNW covers 343 homes, with 66 per cent of the community signed up as part of the watch. Cockburn urged the community members who have not signed up to do so.

Contact Grant Cockburn on 083 386 8339

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