More than 200 smash-and-grab incidents have been recorded in 10 months by the metro police CCTV network in Cape Town.
The city listed several smash-and-grab hotspots on Friday, with the corridor between Bonteheuwel and Langa the worst. However, other intersections have seen an increase as enforcement efforts forced criminals to change their modus operandi.
“The metro police CCTV network detected 215 smash-and-grab incidents between July 2024 and May 2025,” said the city.
Based on the statistics, most incidents happened in the late afternoon, early evening and weekends.
Other areas flagged by the city include:
- Leonsdale;
- Beaconvale;
- the Foreshore;
- Elsies River Industria;
- Epping Industria;
- Milnerton; and
- Philippi.
“Most of the areas with the highest number of reports are in close proximity. Furthermore, the trends show these opportunistic criminals strike when people are perhaps less vigilant after a long day at work and stuck in peak-hour traffic, or it is a weekend when they tend to be more relaxed and the odds increase of valuables such as shopping bags on back seats,” said safety and security MMC JP Smith.
“One of our biggest challenges is it is nearly impossible to determine the extent of the problem. The CCTV network only detects incidents within the camera footprint and not all incidents are reported to SAPS.”
Tips to reduce the risk of a smash-and-grab:
- keep valuables out of sight in the boot or under the seat, making sure it's not visible;
- lock all doors and close windows;
- be vigilant and aware of your surroundings;
- be wary of people loitering at traffic lights or intersections; and
- be aware of people trying to give you pamphlets or sell goods as they not may be legitimate vendors.
TimesLIVE
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