In recent years, Cape Town estate agents have repeatedly advised potential home buyers to consider the security situation in the areas in which they wish to live – but have often been unable to identify exactly which these are.
“It may interest those involved in researching property prospects to know that a round robin survey done by Rawson Property Group head office staff coupled with figures from Crimestatssa.com have shown that the southern half of the Cape Peninsula, especially those suburbs in the eastern sector, i.e. facing onto False Bay, are by far the safest place in the Greater Cape Town area in which to live,” says Bill Rawson, Chairman of the Rawson Property Group.
Rawson added that the southern half, in his phrasing, does not include Constantia and Muizenberg, where the crime figures still remain relatively high. However, he said, St James, Fish Hoek, Kalk Bay and Simon’s Town can all be regarded as relatively low crime areas.
Simon’s Town, for example, had 213 household burglary instances in 2012, while Fish Hoek had 320. These figures are way below those of such areas as Claremont, which had 507 household burglaries and the City Bowl, which had 668.
On the Atlantic Coast, the Victoria and Alfred precinct, is seen as a particularly safe area, as is Camps Bay, with 148 instances.
“Those who despair of the crime statistics,” added Rawson, “should note that wherever security estates spring up they have a marked effect on crime. In the coming times, well protected security estates will continue to be the preferred places in which to live. Areas such as Steenberg and Silverhurst, which have state-of-the-art 24/7 protection, are now so safe that people and their children can walk around the entire estate at night, secure in the knowledge that they are very unlikely to be interfered with.”
