Community invited to voice their concerns
Currently two signing points available
Due to the ever-increasing crime rate in the Florida policing precinct, community members are saying that enough is enough and are demanding change.
During the past few years, the crime situation in the Florida area has been deteriorating, as the Florida Police’s role in crime combating has steadily declined due to a lack of adequate equipment and resources to deal with the area’s ever-expanding population.
“We find community patrollers and security companies taking more and more of a lead in the fight against crime, due to the non-availability of the police. Although their willingness to assist is commendable, we do need to question why provincial management continues to neglect the Florida policing precinct,” said Caleb Finn, the councillor for Ward 70.He added that in recent weeks, multiple persons have been killed within the area, especially due to issues such as illegal mining, which continues to increase, without much intervention from either the Florida Police, or any other police units. “These violent incidents of crime are a particular concern,” he said.In an attempt to get answers, he has assisted community members to draw up a petition to place more focus on these issues. The petition, which was drawn up on 9 November, reads as follows:
“This petition wishes to voice the concerns of the community residing within the Florida policing area.
As the community, we wish to call upon the Gauteng Member of the Electoral Committee for Community Safety, Ms Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane and the SAPS Gauteng Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Deliwe de Lange to urgently address the following concerns:
• The severe manpower shortages at Florida Police Station.
• The shortage of operational police vehicles at the Florida Police’s disposal.
• Lack of police visibility throughout the Florida policing area.
• Slow response times by Florida Police in cases of emergency and the constant unavailability of officers to attend both crimes that are in progress and that have already occurred.
• Illegal mining throughout the southern section of the policing area, particularly at the Jerusalem/ Roodepoort Rugby Club informal settlement, which has led to many deaths in recent months.
These are some of the issues which have caused the community to lose faith in the Florida Police, and need to be urgently addressed, in order to address the levels of crime which are spiraling out of control.”
There are currently two signing points available, one at the BP Garage at the Albertina Sisulu Street and Fourth Avenue intersection (available 24 hours a day at the cashiers) and the other one at Alf’s Stationers, corner Madeline Street and Third Avenue (available during business hours). Community members who are willing to provide a signing point, or go do to door, are urged to contact the councillor to arrange for this.
“Please add your voice to our call for Member of the Electoral Committee for Community Safety as well as the Provincial Commissioner to urgently address our concerns as a community and adequately resource our police station,” Finn concluded.
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