Residents in Plataan Avenue, Edleen are fed up with crime

Edleen residents are at their wits’ end after having dealt with an increase in criminal activity for several years.

The escalation in crime has left residents feeling as though the police have left them at the mercy of criminals.

The community has now taken matters into their own hands in an attempt to secure their neighbourhood.

Residents said much of the criminal activity takes place along Plataan Avenue opposite the railway line.

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Community member, Phistos Ramano, spoke to Kempton Express.

“We’ve been reporting crime activity and nothing has been done about it. We have found bodies before,” he said.

Ramano said in hopes of curbing crime, the community created a WhatsApp group to alert each other of suspicious activities.

He added that residents do not feel safe when they are outside.

“We don’t even feel safe indoors because of the number of burglaries.”

Ramano said Plataan Avenue was a crime hotspot because of the easy entry and exit points.

He said residents have witnessed drug exchanges, muggings, murder and hijacking at Plataan Avenue.

“We rarely see police vans around here and that’s one of the reasons why the crime is high. If the police can increase their visibility in Edleen it would help.”

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According to residents, streetlights at Plataan Avenue have not worked for over two years.

Along the road is a substation with no gate. The substation has now become home to vagrants who were chased away by residents during a clean-up operation.

The electrical boxes are left open and residents fear this makes them vulnerable to criminals.

“The substation remains without a gate even after residents complained repeatedly.

“As a community we have tried to install alarm systems in our homes but security companies won’t get here fast enough, so we communicate on WhatsApp to catch the criminals ourselves.”

Residents including Ramano believe that enclosing the area would be a solution to curbing crime.

He said residents want boom gates and a wall separating Plataan Avenue and the railway line.

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“A while ago, residents gathered to cut the long grass near the railway line because that’s where criminals usually hide before and after they commit crimes in Edleen.”

Last week Edleen residents blockaded Plataan Avenue near Builders Warehouse.

“Rocks were placed across the road as a crime prevention measure. Not everyone in the community agrees with this measure but most of us agreed that this is the only thing that will make the police hear our cries,” said Ramano.

On September 13, Norkem Park Police Station sector managers and the Gauteng crime prevention wardens removed the rocks that were blocking the road.

Norkem Park SAPS spokesperson Warrant Officer Barbara-Anne Ferreira stated that residents were warned not to block the road with rocks.

“These rocks were placed on a curve in the road and caused two accidents. One accident caused the driver to seek medical attention. This is not only illegal but dangerous to road users,” she said.

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Just minutes after officers left the scene, residents placed the rocks back on the road.

Ramano believed that the community’s measure to decrease crime in the area has been working.

“Ever since the rocks were placed on the road, there hasn’t been any suspicious activity going on.

We still need the police to increase their visibility around Edleen and even one van would make a difference by patrolling,” he said.