Crime-fighting solutions discussed

The recent release of the 2018/ 2019 crime statistics saw the Honeydew Police Station in the Top 5 out of 30 crime-ridden police stations in the country.

Although the statistics revealed a decrease of 5 per cent compared to the 2017/ 2018 financial year, the stakeholders at the station remain concerned.

In a bid to clamp down on the scourge, the Honeydew Community Policing Forum and management of Honeydew Police Station have been organising public meetings in all sectors in the precinct to discuss matters relating to crime.

The first meeting was held in Sector 1, with a turnout that left the organisers appalled. The second and most recent meeting was held in Sector 2 and drew a significantly improved number, with about 150 residents turning up at Panorama Primary School on Saturday, 14 September.

The suburbs of Weltevreden Park, Constantia Kloof and Allen’s Nek were labelled as hot spots because of their high crime rates, especially theft out of motor vehicles, theft of motor vehicles, house robbery, robbery with firearms, burglary at residential premises, robbery with aggravating circumstances and common assault.

Among many other crime-related issues discussed in the presence of the acting station commander, Colonel Makgamatha, were factors contributing to the crime rate in all three areas.

It was stated that the daily influx of people as well as traffic led to delays in police response and efficiency. It was also noted that the area is close to various informal settlements which perpetrators use as hiding places, and for planning and offset points. Also, a lot of the streets in the suburbs serve as escape routes and criminals are known to use public transport to escape. The number of personal items, such as laptops, cash, wallets, cellphones, handbags and luggage left in parked vehicles also contributed immensely to the challenges experienced.

The following recommendations and requests were put to the community in an effort to combat crime:

· The community was advised to increase personal security at their residences by upgrading security systems, gates and burglar-proofing in order to reduce the number of burglaries at residential premises and house robberies.

· The community was asked to be more vigilant and aware of their surroundings when driving, especially to and from work and home. The need to lock their vehicle doors, and secure and hide property (e.g. handbags and cellphones) out of sight from pedestrians was emphasised, as this would also prevent smash and grabs.

· Residents were asked to report offences as soon as possible, because all cases reported are being used by the police to establish problem areas and for deployment of members and resources.

· Community members were also reminded to report suspicious activities and people.