Lonehill residents promised safety in suburb
LONEHILL - Following an incident of hijacking in the heart of Lonehill, residents of the suburb called for an urgent security meeting.
The security meeting, which was held at Lonehill Village Church, was attended by a record number of residents as well as Douglasdale police and representatives from the Gauteng Provincial police. Local security companies and paramedics also turned up in full force.
Andy Mashile, the chairperson of the Gauteng Community Policing Forum opened the meeting by saying, “I think Lonehill must be the safest place on the planet tonight with all the police and security companies here.”
The meeting allowed for residents to question their community leaders, the Douglasdale police, the Douglasdale Community Policing Forum (CPF) and the Provincial police about pressing crime issues in the community.
The question on every residents’ lips was about the hijacking which occurred on Concourse Crescent on 2 August, after which two bodies were found burnt in the hijacked vehicle in Hartebeespoort.
The police could not give any further details on the case, however it was confirmed that the hijacking is being investigated by the Douglasdale police.
It was also confirmed that CCTV footage from security cameras on Concourse Crescent has been handed over to the police and is forming part of the investigation.
Residents were also concerned about police inefficiency. Some residents felt that arrested criminals were not staying behind bars due to lack of evidence. Another issue that residents were unanimously concerned about was the criminal activity at the intersection of Main and Witkoppen roads.
Residents were concerned that inhabitants of the Clay Oven informal settlement on Witkoppen Road could be responsible for the numerous smash and grabs that occur at the intersection. Douglasdale CPF chairperson, Jean Berdou addressed many of the issues raised by imploring the community to not be discouraged by certain instances in which the police or CPF could have done better, but rather to get involved by volunteering with the police and the CPF. Major-General Phumzo Gela, of the Gauteng Provincial police, was also present at the meeting and told residents that he had made note of all their concerns and was committed to improving every single one of them.
Gela told residents that he was always available to listen to their concerns or complaints and urged them to call him about any crime issues in the community which they felt were not being dealt with sufficiently.
Details: Major-General Phumzo Gela, 082 316 2572;
Andy Mashile, 082 346 0520.
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