Last night on Social Media students alerted the general public of an attempted robbery on a student in Reitz street, according to the alert 4 men in a red Polo with GP plates manhandled and gun pointed a student in an attempted robbery, from the alert it seems that the incident was captured on CCTV and that the team at Mooirivier is following the incident.
Previous Stabbing
This incident follows on the heels that saw another student, Enrico de Swardt, being stabbed several times as he was walking home at night, with his laptop and cellphone being taken, fortunately for Enrico the stabs missed vital parts and he can count himself very "lucky" to be able to walk away from the incident, his parents naturally was shocked and expressed their blessing that at least Enrico is okay, yet it is still a traumatic experience for all.
Community Efforts for Safer Bult
The past few years there has been a concertred effort by the community and different stakeholders to manage the safety and securtity on the Bult, which is where many memories are made for our students and it is the hub for many of the students studying at the university, it does seem however that criminal elements have identified students as a soft target for such robberies and are using the late night and loadshedding darkness as their cover to target these students for robberies and theft.
The Security Alerts
Mooirivier Beskerming, that plays a crucial role in the safety of the area, recently stated that there is an increase of incidents where students are targeted, and urged students to be aware of their surroundings, travel in groups and to avoid walking alone at night as this is an open invitation to these criminals operating in the area.
In a similar spirit the Cachet Park CID stated that they are immensely active in their security efforts and monitoring 200+ cameras 24/7 and doing their best to reduce crime on the Bult. However, following students who walk around throughout the night is taking up lots of their resources.
Catchet Park CID operators at Mooirivier Beskerming are doing the best they can to monitor the cameras and looking out for suspicious activity. They would like to encourage their members, parents, managing agents, complex owners etc. to communicate to their students of the potential dangers of being out at night, especially when under the influence of alcohol. They too are observing an increase in crimes where students are targeted.
Download Buzzer App
They urged the community to download the Buzzer app to report incidents, suspicious activity or emergencies.
To all Potchefstroomers the safety of our students, children and the general Bult community is close at heart, as this is where so many student memories are shaped and fondly remembered when we end up leaving Potchefstroom behind to spread our wings into our next part of life, many parents and other stakeholders want this to be the beautiful part of student life, therefore every effort and support we can provide to have a safer Bult should be supported.
Buzzer App
Apple Play/iOS: Download Link
Google Play/Android: Download Link
Community Pages and Contacts
Mooirivier Beskerming: Facebook Page
Cacher Park CID: Facebook Page
#TheGoToGuy #Potchefstroom #MooirivierBeskerming #CachetParkCID
