NORFOLK, Va. - Over the past week, crime mapping from the city's police department shows officers responded to seven reported robberies.
One of them happened over the weekend at the Norfolk Premium Outlets. A woman was in the parking when she was approached by two men with a weapon, a police spokesperson said.
When police responded, they found the woman's car had been taken. It was later recovered not far away.
Another incident in West Ghent has once again raised concerns in that neighborhood. Neighbors say a man was power washing a house last week when two people came up to him with a gun and attempted to steal his vehicle. He was able to get away, according to neighbors.
Now, the West Ghent Civic League is encouraging neighbors to increase security by thinking about things like buying motion lights or doorbell cameras. They say they're working with other civic leagues as well.
"It's happening all across the city. I think it's super important in divided times to kind of remind ourselves that we're all here to reach a common goal," said Kayce White, who heads the civic league's safety committee.
Last week's incident follows another one last month when a man says he was unloading his luggage in front of his house when thieves tried to steal his bags. When he confronted them, he says they flashed guns at him.
White says she's encouraging neighbors to spend more time outside and socialize with each other on porches. "It's just important to us as a league, as a community to make sure we're communicating about it and sharing information and finding more ways to create more visibility in our neighborhood, just to make ourselves a harder target," she said.
The civic league is in touch with city leaders and police. "We just want to have civic ideas that everyone can really rally behind," said White.
