Whether it was due to plunging temperatures or just community apathy, last week’s Brakpan SAPS stakeholders meeting saw poor attendance with just a little over a dozen people present.

Held at the State Mines Country Club in Sherwood Gardens on Wednesday morning, the meeting was headed by Brakpan SAPS Vispol support head Lieutenant Colonel Pearl van Staad.

These meetings, which are open to members of the public, are held on a monthly basis in an effort to find solutions to tackling crime in Brakpan.

Points of discussion on the day included current crime trends, namely theft and hijacking of motorcycles, illegal mining and tampering with infrastructure.

Captain Pieter Booysen from the Brakpan SAPS crime intelligence office provided a brief overview of the crimes committed in Brakpan from May 1 to 20.

He was pleased to share that most crime figures are down in comparison to the same period last year, with some crime categories showing a drastic drop, such as theft of motor vehicles, which has reduced by 14 cases, as well as residential burglaries, with a decline of 10 cases.

There were also no reported cases of gate motor theft, a crime which is usually rife.

It was pointed out with concern, however, that four rape cases have been reported to SAPS since May 1.

Current data shows that most residential burglaries are committed on Tuesdays and Fridays between 02:00 and 07:00, and 21:00 and 23:00.

Brenthurst is a current hotspot, followed by Brakpan Central, Dalpark and Sunair Park.

It was noted that burglaries in Sunair Park are spiking drastically.

Business burglaries were reported in Anzac, Dalpark and Sherwood Gardens, with the break-ins typically occurring over the weekend.

There were only two business robberies, both of which occurred in the CBD – one on a Wednesday morning and the other on a Saturday afternoon.

Cars are mostly stolen on Wednesdays and Saturdays between noon and 16:00, and 21:00 and 22:00. Hotspot areas are Brakpan Central and Dalview.

It would appear Toyotas are highly sought after by thieves as this vehicle make was the most targeted this past month with six stolen.

As for theft out of or from motor vehicles, Dalpark, Dalview and Maryvlei are hotspots.

This type of crime most commonly takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 15:00 and 17:00.

There were three car hijackings, two of which occurred in Dalpark and the other in Brakpan Central.

Each took place on different days of the week – Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, with two incidents occurring in the morning, at 09:00 and 11:00, and the third in the evening at 20:00.

The hijacked vehicle brands were Chrysler, Isuzu and Toyota.

Withok Estates and Minnebron are hotspots for tampering with infrastructure, with Wednesday and Thursdays identified as the days of the week most favoured by these criminals.

They are mostly active between midnight and 06:00, 08:00 and noon, and then from 19:00 to 20:00.

With regards to motorcycle hijackings, it was noted that there has been a decrease in these incidents following the arrest of a suspect.

As reported in the Brakpan Herald’s May 16 edition, a would-be motorbike hijacker was traced to a hospital and arrested hours after a shoot-out with Brakpan police.

Brakpan SAPS Crime Prevention Unit members were patrolling along Oval Road in Brakpan North on May 6 when they witnessed two men travelling in a white double cab bakkie attempting to hijack the rider of Checkers Sixty60 motorbike.

Upon realising the police saw them, the men in the white bakkie drove off into the Plastic City informal settlement and shots were fired from the bakkie towards the police. The police members retaliated and had to abandon the state vehicle and give chase on foot.

Both the driver and the passenger evaded capture by vanishing into Plastic City, and abandoned the bakkie.

Investigations soon revealed the driver of the bakkie had been taken to the Far East Rand Hospital for medical treatment for a gunshot wound to the leg.

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Police went to the hospital and found the man, who was then placed under arrest. The 25-year-old Zimbabwean was charged with attempted murder.

As for motorcycle thefts, these are on the rise and it was disclosed that the bikes are primarily stolen during home burglaries.

Mention was made of one incident where a motorbike kept in the bedroom of a house was taken.

Perpetrators are also reportedly poisoning dogs to gain access to the properties.

They often return a few days later to gain access to the residence undisturbed.

It was reiterated during this discussion that all dog poisonings must be reported to police.

Concerns were also raised about illegal mining, and while there have been many law enforcement operations focused on clamping down on these activities, it continues to plague the town with new sites identified.

A claim was made that land rehabilitation projects are being used as a cover for illegal mining activities with the permit holders digging holes for the zama zamas.

Police gave their assurance this would be investigated and they would consult the relevant authorities involved.

Tampering with infrastructure was also identified as a problem in Brakpan North and it was stated that cables are cut in Minnebron and Withok Estates almost every weekend.

The back of Anzac was also pinpointed as a problem area for infrastructure crimes, and it was reported trenches are being excavated in search of cables.

The criminals also hide in these trenches, and an appeal was made for these trenches to be closed.

Police revealed that blue light hijackers are again active on the R23/R554 (Heidelberg and Elsburg roads). The hijackers are reported to be travelling in a white single cab Isuzu D-MAX bakkie fitted with blue lights.

Police visibility will be increased along these routes.

It was also disclosed that smash-and-grabbers are operating along the R23, at the New Kleinfontin Road intersection, as well as at the intersection of Stoffberg Avenue and Station Road.

SAPS shared there have even been cases where taxi commuters have been targeted. These areas will also be monitored through increased visibility.

Touching on the issue of fraud and scams, mention was made of fraudsters who claim to be selling electricity at a lower price.

As reported in last week’s Herald, scammers are operating on social media where they deceive residents by offering them electricity tokens at a substantially discounted rate.

Anyone with information that can lead to the arrest and successful prosecution of these scammers is encouraged to contact the nearest police station or the City of Ekurhuleni on 0860 543 000.

The Brakpan CPF proposed that a school forum be established and suggested a meeting be arranged with local schools regarding heightened security at large school events or sports days in an effort to prevent car thefts and theft out of cars.

It was stated that schools are welcome to contact the CPF or security companies in advance to arrange security at events.

The stakeholders meetings take place on the last Wednesday of every month, and community members, businesses, civic organisations, law enforcement agencies, the security industry and others interested in finding solutions to fighting crime in Brakpan are invited to attend.

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