During the monthly meeting of the White River CPF, the crime situation in the area and the various ways it was being combatted with was discussed among members.
During the feedback from SAPS sector manager’s, property crime was once again highlighted as a problem. The theft of motorbikes in town is also increasing and there have been a few cases of dogs being poisoned.
The new station commissioner, Lt Col Thulani Maphanga was also present and, after only a few days in his new post, was working on strategies for and solutions to various serious crime issues in the area.
He told members that he was working on a strategy to combat the rampant theft of Macadamia nuts in the Heidel Valley.
“I want to change the picture and make White River safer,” he said, after voicing his support for the CPF and the work it does.
Rural safety was once again addressed and farmers and owners of smallholdings were encouraged to create profiles of their workers. These profiles must include a copy of their ID, a photo, contact number of a relative or friend and fingerprints.
Farmers can contact the police for an appointment to visit the farm to take fingerprints at no cost. They will then also scan the fingerprints to see if there are wanted persons or perpetrators of serious crimes among the workers.
Townsfolk are also welcome to make an appointment to get their workers’ fingerprints taken.
It was reported that Msholozi still has high incidences of domestic violence. The building of illegal structures and illegal sale of stands also remain problematic.
In town, the stopping and searching of vehicles were implemented to help reduce crime. CPF chairman, Ockie Brits, recommended that vehicles belonging to security companies and government should also be searched as they aren’t above the law.
The chairman also asked members to encourage security companies to attend CPF meetings, as their input is valuable in determining the overall state of crime in the area.
Residents were cautioned to check that their lock boxes were properly closed, as this could provide criminals with easy access to information, keys or remote controls.
The Kingsview representative also warned residents to be careful when entrusting remote controls to their workers. “They can be followed by suspects, overpowered and robbed of the remote,” he said.
The Witklip sub-forum was also activated again and the representative reported that timber theft and fires were a big problem in this area.
Suspicious vehicles and persons are continually spotted at Heidel and Benrock, as well as Spioenkop.
Spioenkop’s representative said she had stopped a vehicle that seemed to be scouting the area and informed them that she’d contact security, which seemed to have scared them off. She, as well as the other members of the meeting were cautioned to contact their security company or the police for assistance rather than confront suspicious people. The next CPF meeting will be held at White River Police Station conference room on July 14 at 18:00.
To contact the police station on 013-751-1471 or 013-751-6000 or email whiterivercpf@gmail.com
