Vigilence is the key to community safety

Unoccupied houses being stripped of all their valuable fittings and appliances like geysers, are one of the worrying crimes which have recently come to the attention of security companies. This was also one of the discussion points of this month’s community policing forum (CPF) meeting and the chairman, Mr Ockie Brits, urged community members to be more aware of their surroundings.

Unoccupied houses in the more quiet parts of town were being monitored and then stripped of all saleable items before new owners moved in. Community members should keep an eye out for suspicious activity near these properties and report it to their local CPF subforum, security company or the police.

There had also been cases where burglars had broken down wall panels at the graveyard to gain access to neighbouring houses.

The occurence of cases being fraudulently reported for insurance purposes had also been highlighted. Brits emphasised that people found to have engaged in such acts would be arrested for perjury and fraud. “Real crimes should be reported immediately. Don’t wait a few days,” he stressed.

According to the various SAPS sector managers, the number of robberies had decreased thanks to the assistance of the community. Residents were also instrumental in helping the police and local security companies recover a large cache of goods estimated at about R1 million, earlier this month. The SAPS were still in possession of a large portion of these goods and requested community members to see whether their property, which had been reported stolen, were among these. It was suspected that several criminals were responsible for stealing these various items.

Police were encouraging community members to remain vigilant as cellphones and laptops were being targeted in Diamond Street and several had already been stolen.

At Spioenkop, CPF members were worried about the amount of traffic moving through the quiet area. There had also been incidents where herdsmen of cattle that roam the area fired shots on property owners. The CPF representative said they had also spotted youngsters scouting the properties by walking along the boundary fence.

Fence cutting remained a problem at smallholdings and farms surrounding town, and farmers and property owners were urged to work closely with the SAPS and the CPF to stop these.

The macadamia groves outside town, especially in the Heidel Valley, were still drawing thieves and there is a lot of suspicious activity in the night. Brits warned that this could lead to the burglary of nearby houses as the thieves’ nocturnal scouting could provide them with an opportunity to break into properties when they didn’t spot the owners at home.

Members requested that the roles and responsibilites of the SAPS sector managers be explained and were informed that these officers managed the sectors, liaised with the community and relayed complaints. “If the complaints require manpower, the police station works out a plan of action. Otherwise, the sector manager addresses the complaints himself,” branch commander Lt Thokozani Zungu replied.

Members were encouraged to know who their sector commander was and to save his cellphone number in case of emergencies.

Many of the subforum representatives reported that it had been relatively quiet in their areas the past few weeks, but that they were keeping up their active radio networks and WhatsApp groups.

Security companies urged community members to be vigilant regarding their home safety by closing windows, keeping valuables out of sight and out of reach of the windows and locking doors. Proper alarm systems and the necessity of reporting when alarms go off incessantly were also discussed. The importance of working with the police, giving them support and cooperation and building up a good working relationship were encouraged.

The next CPF meeting will be held on May 12, at 18:00 at the police station. For more information, send an email to the chairman at whiterivercpf@gmail.com.