LISTEN: Top Tshwane crime hotspots
Five of the top areas of the capital are now the hardest hit
by crime.
These are students’ suburb Hatfield, embassy-lined Nieuw Muckleneuk and the wealthy Brooklyn, Menlyn and Menlo Park.
Spokesperson for the Brooklyn Police Station, Colette Weilbach, says burglaries at homes and businesses, as well as vehicle theft and smash-and-grabs during the month of July have catapulted these suburbs to the top of the police watch list.
Police are also concerned over an increase in contact crimes such as street robberies.
Weilbach says most of the crimes were committed on Tuesday afternoons from 4 pm till 8 pm and again on Friday mornings from 8 am till noon.
Brooklyn police have reiterated their warning to the public and motorists to refrain from leaving hand bags, laptop bags, smart phones, tablets and other valuable items on the seats of their vehicles, or within plain sight.
It should also be noted that criminals are aware of the habit of hiding valuables under the seats of a car.
“It is never a safe option. Rather lock all your valuables in your boot before you leave your destination,” says Weilbach.
In July, Brooklyn police arrested 158 people; 47 of whom were for drug-related offenses.