MEMPHIS, Tenn. — People WREG spoke to who live near South Main in downtown Memphis were proud to claim the safest zip code, but many worried crime could be on the rise in the area.
That’s why some residents started calling for safety upgrades.
The South Main Association told WREG there have been several robberies recently, including one where a man asked women outside South of Beale for directions, then robbed them.
Over the weekend, a man was robbed outside the Machine Works Apartments.
There have also been dozens of car break-ins.
“There’s a lot of development down here, and with development, I think that comes along with it,” said South Main resident Mike Parsell.
Someone broke into Parsell’s car.
“I had my car broken into, and one of the times, I have to admit, I left the door open, but you still don’t feel comfortable with people coming into your backyard, so to speak,” he said.
Some on South Main have met with police and noticed more patrols.
The Association also sent out safety tips.
A president of an apartment complex, who did not want to be identified, agreed that there is a need to increase some security measures.
“We have to take actions to secure our property. We’re having to invest more money in security systems and camera systems, and all that kind of stuff. It affects us all,” he said.
Others in the community said crime has not affected them.
MPD data revealed crime for this month compared to the same time last year was pretty comparable.
There have been 16 robberies so far this month.
Last year, at this point, there had been 13.
During the same span of time, there were 47 thefts from motor vehicles last year.
There have been 48 this year.
“We haven’t noticed it, because we have a gate and a security guard,” said another resident.
