Police concerned with crime increase in Bedfordview
Problematic areas in the precinct include Bedfordview CBD, Elandsfontein and Meadowdale.
Law enforcement in the Bedfordview SAPS precinct intensified from February 26 to 27 with Operation Shanela leading to the arrest of 292 suspects for various crimes.
The main operations were conducted in the Bedfordview policing precinct under the leadership of Ekurhuleni district commissioner, Major General Anna Sithole.
“We have noticed with concern that for January, trio crimes increased in the Bedfordview precinct.
“Of concern is the hijackings taking place here, both car and truck hijackings. We have also noted the increase in residential burglary cases,” said Sithole.
Problematic areas in the precinct include Bedfordview CBD, Elandsfontein and Meadowdale.
She said contact crimes, including murders, assaults, and assaults GBH, aggravated robberies, have also shown an increase.
“That is why we brought the forces to Bedfordview so that we can show visibility and assist the station commander in trying to reduce crime levels,” she added.
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Additionally, the detectives arrested 248 suspects during their operations that started on February 26.
Among the arrests were 158 suspects for contact crimes, 15 for property crimes, 39 for other serious crimes and 50 for gender-based violence (GBV).
In a separate intelligence-driven operation, the officers seized two firearms after the owner failed to comply with the Firearms Control Act.
Adding to the arrests were 39 illegal immigrants, 11 taxis and a Nissan vehicle impounded.
The officers also nabbed a suspect for dealing in drugs, and another suspect for dealing in dagga, shut down two illegal shebeens, and arrested a suspect for employing illegal immigrants.
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A toy gun was seized and five traffic fines to the value of R2 200 were issued to motorists.
The operation was followed by a community imbizo held at the Elandsfontein informal settlement to engage with residents about crime-related concerns and police services.
As part of the challenges, the community voiced the need for a mobile community service centre because the police station was far away from them.
They also raised concerns about illegal electricity connections.
Sithole thanked the law enforcers for putting more effort into the fight against crime and making an impact in the area as no serious crime was reported during their presence in Bedfordview.
