As the Castle of Good Hope’s events calendar is filling up, there are concerns about a rise in crime around the Castle, with calls for more police visibility especially around Strand Street.
It comes after a tourist took to social media recently, after luggage was stolen out of a vehicle, while parked outside the Castle.
The incident was reported on Wednesday 21 February, and law enforcement officials from the City and SAPS sprung into action to investigate.
One of the empty luggage containers was discovered between the tents alongside the Castle, with another empty bag being recovered later that evening on the railway tracks of the Central line.
A few days later, on Saturday morning, investigators had handed over several of the stolen items that had been recovered. By late Saturday evening, their valuable travel documents had also been recovered and handed back to the relieved tourists.
Interestingly, the stolen items, bank cards and documents were found in a derelict room above a foreign owned shop in Salt River.
According to the City’s investigators, someone tried to fraudulently use the stolen cards at the shop, but the shop owner has denied any knowledge, and no-one has been arrested yet.
The CEO of the Castle of Good Hope Calvyn Gilfellan says the sporadic crime around the historic site is a cause for concern, as it risks visitors avoiding the landmark.
Gilfellan says all forms of criminality must be condemned, but he says it is not always the homeless people living in the tents alongside the Castle who are to blame.
And even though they are often behind petty crimes, Gilfellan claims that other groups are using those living in the tented camp as a ”scapegoat”.
He says of particular concern is a group of youths who are living in the abandoned quarry in Bo-Kaap, who make their way down to the Castle and target visitors.
”There is a small gang of young people coming down (from the quarry) and snatching people’s necklaces, robbing people during the daylight…The police are so aware of this.”
Gilfellan says they are working with all law enforcement authorities to safeguard their own staff and visitors.
He says there needs to be more police visibility in Strand Street, and sign boards should be erected to warn people that it is a high crime area.
Gilfellan adds perhaps metered parking should also be introduced as an additional deterrent.
“We’ve seen that on the Darling Street side, where there are parking attendants in their visible vests, and that certainly has done its job on that side (in decreasing crime)”
He is also adamant that people need to reclaim the area, and he has encouraged visitors to also play there part by being more vigilant of their surroundings and parking in designated bays which are provided in Darling Street.
It is especially important seeing as the Castle is trying to revitalise it’s tourism offering, which saw the launch of Kuier@TheCastle this past weekend, a brand-new monthly market, featuring an array of local artisanal products, culinary delights, and entertainment curated to appeal to the whole family.
An event specialist who worked with The Craft and Design Institute on the launch of the Kuier@TheCastle event, Keri Jane Espey, wrote on Facebook that it is unfortunate that the Castle team has to take the brunt of what is going on at the moment.
”It’s time for us to all bring life back to that beautiful piece if our Heritage. The Castle team and Defence Force are working hard with very little resources, to keep it going. I take my hat off to them.”
Gilfellan concludes he hopes that in time the Castle grounds will once again by a proud monument for all Capetonians to enjoy.
As for the homeless encampment, the Department of Public Works has now approached the High Court for an eviction order.
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