Residents urged to take back their streets
Warrant Officer Marx Crouse, the Cleveland SAPS sector manager for Kensington, urged residents to partner with the SAPS in the fight against crime. He advised residents to get to know their neighbour.
Residents who attended a meeting to discuss crime recently were urged to take back their streets.
The I Love Kensington Association (Ilka) hosted the first Jeppe and Cleveland SAPS joint sector crime forum meeting on January 30.
Warrant Officer Marx Crouse, the Cleveland SAPS sector manager for Kensington, urged residents to partner with the SAPS in the fight against crime. He advised residents to get to know their neighbour.
“You need to know your neighbour. If you do not know your neighbour and do not have contact with anyone else, you may have a problem in an emergency. Get to know each other. Have street committee meetings. If you would like us to attend these meetings, or if there is something you want us to address, let us know. How can we assist you if we do not know what problems you are experiencing?” he asked.
The power of community involvement was evident in Malvern recently when residents demanded police officers do more to arrest members of the balaclava gang. Although some arrests were made prior to residents demanding action, it did not deter other members of the gang. Mr Godfrey Mothibe, the chairperson of the Cleveland Community Police Forum (CCPF), said committee members and police officers worked closely with residents. Information provided by residents led to several arrests recently.
Mr Mothibe said all residents should form street committees, neighbourhood watch and block forums to combat crime. At the sector meeting held in Kensington, Warrant Officer Crouse said, “Police officers cannot be everywhere and that is why they depend on information from residents. You are our eyes and ears. I urge people to report suspicious activity and crime to us. Our job as sector managers is to be closer to residents. I also urge people to be vigilant at all times.”
W/O Crouse advised people to contact their security companies if they come home late, or if they believe someone close by is behaving suspiciously.
“Do not just drive into your property. Pay attention to your surroundings and if you are not comfortable, contact your security company,” he said.
He said there are plans to re-establish a business forum in Queen Street and to hold monthly meetings with security companies. “We need to work together to fight crime,” he said.
Warrant Officer Crouse also explained how people should report crime. He said people should first contact 10111 to report a problem and get a reference number.
“This will help in an investigation if a police officer does not attend to your complaint. Then you call the sector vehicle number. If you do not get a response, contact me immediately,” he said.
The sector vehicle number for parts of Kensington covered by the Cleveland SAPS is 071 675 6071/2.
W/O Crouse’s contact number is 082 499 0197.
The sector vehicle number for parts of Kensington covered by the Jeppe SAPS is 071 675 6020/21. Sergeant Patrick Tefu, the sector manager, can be contacted on 079 886 3543.
Mrs Lornette Joseph, the Ilka chairperson, urged residents to report every incident. “We need to do this so that the crime statistics reflect correctly. If we do not report all crimes, the statistics will not give us a true reflection of what is happening,” she said.
