A gang of car thieves could be behind rising cases of car theft in Constantia and Newlands, particularly at forest parking lots, say police.
Police and neighbourhood watches met last Friday to discuss how to curb the trend.
Cases of daytime car theft and thefts from cars have been on the increase since the beginning of April, say police.
The hot spots are Cecilia Forest, Newlands Forest, upper Kenilworth above the railway line, Main Road, Brodie Road, Robertson Road and the Maynard Mall parking lot, said Wynberg police spokeswoman Captain Ntomboxolo Lindipasi.
“The specific cars that are being targeted now are the VW Polos. The past two weeks, three VW polos were stolen in Newlands Forest, two VW polos were stolen in Cecilia Forest and there was one attempted theft. Wynberg SAPS does suspect that it is a syndicate. One vehicle was found in Gugulethu in an area where most syndicates are believed to operate, but this is still under further investigation.”
She encouraged the public to lock their vehicles, park in well-lit areas, lock valuables in the boot and install car-tracking devices.
Parkscape, an environmental non-profit organisation, has cautioned against relying on car guards
“They are neither present at all times, nor are they authorised or paid-for and managed car guards, and they cannot (and cannot be expected to) prevent crime. They are merely there to try and earn some money,” the organisation said on its Facebook page.
Constantia Watch chairman Trevor Vroom said their special response team and the police were doing more regular patrols in the Cecilia Forest and Constantia Nek parking areas as well as other hot spots.
