Kensington police are urging residents to be cautious and to prevent themselves from becoming victims of crime by not displaying valuable items like cellphones.
According to WO David Stemmit, Kensington police communication officer, there has been an increase in robberies in and around the area.
The officer says the robberies occur in the morning hours as residents make their way to work.
“Robberies are a concern in the area, especially in the morning or when people return home at night. We appeal to people to not walk with their cellphones in hand or with their earphones. By doing this they are making themselves a target.”
He said these robberies occur along Voortrekker Road and 5th Avenue.
Stemmit said while police do regular patrols residents need to report all incidents to the station.
“People are not opening cases. We are encouraging people to come forward and report crime related incidents.”
Jameealah Liedeman, Kensington Community Policing Forum chair, said people often post crime incidents on social media but not to the relevant authorities.
“There have been reports of phones being grabbed from passing motorists. There are also reports via social media about robberies in 7th street between 2nd and 4th Avenues. I cannot stress how important it is for the victims of crime to report these crimes no matter how small they may seem.”
Liedeman said if crime is being reported that will lead to more boots on the ground.
“When crimes are not reported it results in an untrue narrative that Kensington and Factreton are crime free.
“The result of the crimes not being reported has a direct impact on how many new police officers are assigned to the precinct.”
