DURBAN North SAPS has increased its patrol at the Japanese Gardens following an armed robbery and stabbing last weekend. Capt Raymond Deokaran, spokesman for the station, said police had increased daily patrols at the gardens which has seen a spate of attacks and muggings in the last two years. Since March 2015, there has been 20 cases with the majority of the robberies committed near the bottom of the park, near Waterkant Road.
In August last year, two men were arrested by detectives and were linked to eight robberies at the municipal gardens. However, two more men, who managed to evade escape may be responsible for the attacks said Deokaran.
“Our field unit has been doing daily patrols at the gardens. We are concerned about the attack and this is one of our areas of focus at the moment. Last week there was a foot chase with four suspects who were at the bottom of the gardens, where the newly installed security grate covering the stormwater drain is. A foot chase ensued and the suspects managed to get away but we found they had been stripping copper cables,” he said.
“We are not sure if the two suspects involved in last week’s robbery are the same ones who managed to evade arrest last year but we are doing everything we can to try and catch these men and put them behind bars.”
While management at the gardens have beefed up security, the criminals have taken to climbing over the barbed wire fencing or pretending to be visitors in the park.
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