Company’s Garden a paradise for robbers

A principal at a popular Cape Town school said two pupils on average were robbed in the Company’s Garden every month.

Cape Town - A principal at a popular Cape Town school said two pupils on average were robbed in the Company’s Garden every month; while there were two cases of contact crimes reported in the garden last year.

The Company’s Garden, which opens daily from 7am till 7pm, is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the city.

It is situated behind the Parliament’s building close to the Iziko South African Museum and houses a popular restaurant.

Government Avenue in the garden is also a major thoroughfare, connecting pupils and office workers between the city centre’s transport hub and schools or places of work.

Gardens Commercial High School principal Pieter Janse van Rensburg said the Company’s Garden was a danger for his pupils.

He said many of their pupils had been victims of robberies while making their way home or to school.

He said: “Robberies occur quite often; at least two incidents every month where the pupil will report that she was held at gun point or with a knife.

“The robbers often target pupils who walk alone through the garden.”

The school is situated higher up on Paddock Avenue; pupils who travel by public transport often walk via the Company’s Garden.

Van Rensburg said the school encouraged pupils to use Plein Street, to avoid contact crimes.

“We notify Central City Improvement District (CCID) and the police and the pupils would give a description of the attacker, but there are no successful arrest made on any of the cases.”

Last week, a Cape Argus reporter was robbed while walking down the Company’s Garden on her way to work.

The attacker held a knife to her and stripped her of her valuables.

Police Ombudsman spokeswoman Nadia Arabi said sometimes people did not want to be witnesses in long, drawn-out criminal proceedings.

Arabi said: “The decision not to report crime may be due to a lack of confidence which the victim has in the police or it could be a result of victims thinking that such crimes are petty and not worth reporting.”

The city council said contact crimes were uncommon in the garden.

Mayoral committee member for community services and special projects Belinda Walker said her office was only aware of robberies that happened from 2014.

She said: “The security company has only two contact crime incidents on record which occurred in December 2014 and February 2015 in which their officers were directly involved.

“We are aware of another two incidents which occurred during 2015 and were attended to by CCID.”

Walker said arrests were made in all the reported incidents.

She said: “Incidents of crime in and around the Company’s Garden has steadily decreased over the last few years due to the controls put in place.

“The monthly statistics consist of removing people loitering and sleeping on benches and similar by-law offences, and not crime per se.”

Every day there are four Eden Security staffers who patrol the garden; the security staff have radios, handcuffs and pepper sprays.

Walker said the city council installed five CCTV cameras in the main garden and an additional four cameras covering Government Avenue.

Tasso Evangelinos, chief executive at the CCID, said safety at the Company’s Garden was a concern.

He said: “Very often crimes that occur in an area are attributed to the homeless particularly when their presence in an area is visible.

“There can be another, often well organised, criminal element at play.”

zodidi.dano@inl.co.za

Cape Argus