Safety in the Parow central business district (CBD) has again come under the spotlight following the robbing of a resident of Plattekloof near the Post Office recently.
According to Annemie Apffelstaedt, the victim, the robbery occurred at the entrance to the Post Office.
The Parow police have on previous occasions reported that this area is a crime hot spot.
Deon Maneveld, chair of the Parow Community Policing Forum (CPF), concurs.
“It is unacceptable for residents to feel unsafe and fear moving around safely in the area they live in. Criminals target the area in and around the Post Office, preying on innocent community members,” Maneveld says.
Though he is not aware of the most recent incident, he emphasised that the area is one of concern.
“This is and has been a hot spot for some time now and the police have assigned patrols in the area to create visibility. They have also assigned a vehicle to park off there, but as soon as the vehicle leaves to attend to a call, the perpetrators return.
“This was discussed at CPF level and there were numerous projects where the police and law enforcement joined forces to patrol and be visible in the area, including the Station Road Arcade, but the challenge is that the teams cannot be permanently assigned during the week.
“This area as well as the Station Road Arcade remains a focus area for us and we have on numerous occasions met with the law enforcement agencies to increase visibility in the area. We encourage residents to report these incidents and open cases so that the statistics can drive the resource allocation,” Maneveld says.
Apffelstaedt says she has opened a case at the Parow police station following the attack on her on Thusday 30 June. She also supplied the newspaper with the official case number.
She explained that they are forced to make use of the Post Office in Parow.
“The Panorama Post Office has been closed for about two years now and clients with a postbox at the Panorama Post Office have to collect their mail from the Post Office in Parow. We have had a post box in Panorama for about 20 years. It is clear now that this Post Office will not re-open.”
Apffelstaedt says she was robbed of jewellery at the entrance and that the thug sped across Voortrekker Road.
“In the Post Office in Parow, the employees tell me that this happens daily.” She describes the situation as “totally unacceptable”.
“At the police station, where I reported the robbery, they told me that in the vicinity of the Parow Post Office there were six robberies the day before, and I was the third one that day, and it was only about 14:30.”
Apffelstaedt says she has complained to the Post Office. She also reported the matter to her local neighbourhood watch.
Apffelstaedt says the area needs better security. She now wants to warn other visitors to the area to be careful.
Maneveld says the Voortrekker Road corridor remains Parow’s biggest challenge with the Post Office area being the epicentre.
TygerBurger is still waiting on comment from the police and the South African Post Office.
