Myrtle Beach Police say they’re seeing an increase in crime in the Grande Dunes community.
Department spokesperson Cpl. Thomas Vest people who live in the gated community have reported several burglaries in the last few weeks.
According to Myrtle Beach Police records, officers responded to a total of 12 burglary-related calls in the last month. 10 of those calls were for home burglaries. That’s in addition to three larceny cases, and nine calls for suspicious activity.
Police have arrested a minor in connection to one of the burglary incidents. He would not say whether the juvenile lives in the Grande Dunes or not. Vest said officers have increased their visibility in the community in response to those reports.
“We’ve increased our patrols in that area – directive patrols and keep checks in that neighborhood. We’re using both marked and unmarked vehicles … we are in the area. We are being proactive.”
Grande Dunes residents met at their first neighborhood watch meeting on Tuesday night. According to Vest, community members approached the department about starting the group a few months ago. Myrtle Beach Police will attend each meeting, disclose neighborhood crime statistics as well as other safety trends, and listen to residents’ concerns. Several residents said they have high hopes for the new meetings, in light of the recent crime.
“It’s a great resource for the community and the officers to have direct communication back and forth. It really improves the open lines of communication we have with our community members,” said Cpl. Vest.