5 Victims, 5 Attacks, 1 Day · Issue 867, by William Taylor

Investigations continue into five street robberies which took place within 24 hours in the student areas of Cathays and Roath

Police in Cardiff are investigating five street robberies that took place within 24 hours in Cathays and Roath.

The robberies occured between 9pm and 1am on April 16 and 17.

Attacks were made on both Lucas Street and Bruce Street.

There were two further assults on Maindy Road and another between Crown Way and New Zealand Road.

Three males have been arrested and bailed for further inquires.

The victims of the attacks are all aged between 16 and 24 and three of them are students.

Student Liaison Officer PC Bob Keohane was quick to emphasise that the attacks were not related to the victims being students.

The two on Wednesday 16 took place in close proximity, within five minutes of each other, which has led PC Keohane to believe “there is information to suggest that the attacks came from the same group of youths”.

However PC Keohane stressed that “crime was definitely going down in Cathays” and the recent spate of attacks was unusual for the area, which usually has low crime rates for street robbery.

Victims of the attacks were all subject to alleged assault, two of which claim to have been threatened with a knife.

All of the victims had personal items including mobile phones and wallets stolen.

Detective Inspector Chris Mullane, head of Cardiff Central CID, said: “I would like to reassure the community that Roath and Cathays are safe places, and patrols have also been increased in the area to provide extra reassurance.”

Aline Ungewiss, a third-year Journalism student, was walking home on the evening of Wednesday 16 when she was stopped by the police who warned her and her boyfriend to look out for “a gang of young hooded males”.

Since 2007, Special Police Constable Sam Tappenden has been heading up the Student Police Initiative, a group which the Police claim has helped in the overall reduction of crime in Cathays.

Tappenden has offered advice to students who may be concerned following the recent assaults.

He said: “Try to stay in a group at night and be mindful of your surroundings. Don’t go down quiet alleyways and stick to main roads instead.

“Also, keep your valuables hidden so as not to attract attention to yourself,” he added.

Operation Maximum Impact, a three-month campaign to tackle every aspect of crime, finished in March.

Speaking about the campaign, DI Mullane said: “The number of robberies in Cardiff has decreased by 39% thanks to Operation Maximum Impact, but we are obviously concerned about the spate of incidents that have occurred this week and we need the public’s help in catching those responsible.

“Somebody knows who has committed these crimes and we would urge them to come forward,” he added.

Anyone with information on any of the incidents is asked to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, Roath CID on 029 2052 7262, or Cardiff Central CID on 029 2052 7420.