While illegal communes and overcrowding is an ever-increasing concern for local police, crime targeted at students who often need to call these communes home, are on the rise.
Sophiatown and especially Brixton police stations have to deal with crimes arising from the particular circumstances surrounding student communes and students in general.
Brixton police spokesperson, Jeanette Bachoff, said the problem is huge.
“There are house robberies almost every week and street robberies daily when students walk to the communes. There is no security and students are soft targets,” she said.
Although there are much fewer communes, both approved or illegal, in Sophiatown, spokesperson Warrant Officer TJ de Bruyn said overcrowded communes can be a problem.
“With regards to overcrowding, we often conduct operations with various stakeholders like the department of housing and health as well as Metro police and City Power,” he said.
Backhoff advised that communities can assist by identifying illegal communes and reporting them.
Last month, the Sophiatown police, Westdene Community Patrollers and Fidelity ADT joined forces to engage students in Westdene and surrounding areas. Natasha Springfield, community development manager Fidelity ADT, said they wanted to meet with the students because they are indeed being affected by crime on the streets and in communes.
Days later, the security company helped catch two suspects targeting a property in 2nd Avenue, Westdene.
Springfield said at around 3am the suspects forced open the steel pedestrian gate at the property. They then kicked open the front door and stole a TV and cell phone before fleeing the scene.
The security company was alerted and was able to apprehend the suspects. They were handed over to the Sophiatown police, she said.
Police are now urging residents to become part of their local community policing forums to actively get involved and help deal with this problem that has begun to show no sign of stopping.
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