Brixton police out in their numbers

Brixton police were out in their numbers on March 21 to increase visibility and awareness of crimes taking place in the area.

While many took advantage of the holiday, police focused their efforts on tackling crimes that were most reported at the station.

The spokesperson of the station Jeanette Backhoff said, “Our biggest issues right now are caused by negligence. People getting robbed on the streets have their phones in their hands and valuables visible, houses being targeted by robbers are those that don’t have their gates locked after residents enter them, and people are still leaving valuables visible in their cars.”

On the day, police handed out pamphlets to the public with safety information. They also conducted searches of vehicles.

“Cars that look like e-hailing taxis are used as getaway vehicles for those snatching phones out of the hands of people in the street or sitting at restaurants. We will be searching these cars and checking the details of the driver and car to see if it has been involved in any illegal activity.”

Police also searched abandoned houses that had been taken over by vagrants. One house in Melville where the occupants were previously found to be dealing drugs was searched after individuals ran inside after seeing police vans patrolling along the road. Police searched the occupants of the house and found some dagga and dangerous weapons which were confiscated.

Backhoff said they would continue with their high visibility operations but urged the community to be cautious and report any and all illegal or suspicious activity to the police or their security company.

Details: CrimeStop 08600 10111, Brixton police 011 837 4427.