Verulam residents live in fear as crime escalates in the CBD

RESIDENTS of Verulam's central business district (CBD) are increasingly fearful as crime rates soar, with reports of theft, stabbings, and armed robberies becoming commonplace, leaving shoppers and business owners on edge.

- YOSHINI PERUMAL

Prem Balram, head of Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa), said crime was escalating because of the market for stolen goods.

He said people were buying stolen goods at cheaper prices.

"The challenging part is that the same people who complain about crime are the very ones purchasing the stolen goods.

"We have found stolen goods in the possession of prominent people in the community, including businessmen and women, and religious leaders," said Balram.

"We have seen a drastic increase in crime in Verulam in recent weeks. Last week alone, we responded to over 30 crimes. We received a large volume of calls from shoppers reporting armed robberies, common robberies, theft of motor vehicles and stabbings.

"Most victims of crime opted not to register cases because they do not have faith that the suspects would be arrested.

"For others, their valuables were not insured and they did not want to sit for hours at the police station to register a case," he said.

To deter criminals, Rusa deployed several marked and unmarked vehicles to the CBD on Monday, Balram said.