Property crimes were once again mentioned as a big problem for the area during this month’s community policing forum (CPF) meeting. These include residential and business burglaries as well as theft of and out of motor vehicles.
Thanks to new additions to White River SAPS in the form of station commander Lt Col Thulani Maphanga and detective branch head Capt Calvin Pule, new strategies are being formed to combat the area’s crime problems.
Jatinga, Yaverland and the Plaston have been identified as a flashpoint areas due to continuous cases of robberies and theft.
The recent increase in theft of motorcycles was also mentioned and a police officer reported that it was due to the fact that most people parked outside.
He urged motorcycle owners to lock their bikes inside a garage.
Maphanga told members of the CPF that, despite the fact that property crimes were a problem, the figures were stable and that there was a slight decrease compared with the previous year.
As the targets of most thefts and burglaries are electrical appliances such as LCD TVs and laptops, residents are urged to keep these out of sight or locked away when not in use.
Theft out of motor vehicles also mostly occurs in residential areas. Police think this is due to the fact that burglars who fail to break into houses often try breaking into cars.
Rural safety was also discussed and CPF chairman, Mr Ockie Brits once again called on farmers to compile an identikit of their workers and to do fingerprint screening.
This helps police during farm attacks and crimes to rule out or include workers on the farms and to notify farmers of any outstanding warrants for their workers or if they were convicted of serious crimes.
They were, however, cautioned not to force their workers into it, as that would cause labour-law issues.
Most of the CPF’s sub-forums reported a quiet month but said that they were continuing to patrol regularly. Residents of the area are urged to join their local sub-forum and to become active on the various WhatsApp groups.
The members at Benrock were proactive during the quiet spell and did two farm- attack simulations, which helped them to determine how effective they are and to iron out any problems.
Curlews reported a problem with macadamia theft.
In town at the various extensions there has been an upsurge in attempted robberies. Youngsters were also seen hunting at the park with air rifles. When CPF members confronted them, they ran away.
Kingsview’s representative told members to check up on legalities surrounding firearm licences and competency certificates and to ensure that their’s hadn’t expired. “It is quite a schlep to reapply or renew them,” he explained.
In Peebles, a few cases of arson in the veld were reported and owners of farms and smallholdings were told to be aware of the requirements of fire safety and have their own action plans in case of fires. The representative also mentioned that there has been an increase in cattle illegally grazing in the area.
Spioenkop also reported a similar problem with cattle moving over from the settlements onto farms and smallholdings. Suspicious vehicles active in the area are still a big concern there and residents were urged to report them to the CPF, security company or SAPS.
Platsak similarly reported lots of suspicious movement, with a group of 10 or more people moving around in the area during the evening. Fence cutting in both Platsak and Yaverland were also cited as an ongoing problem.
Cases of rabies were reported in Yaverland and residents were cautioned to be wary of stray animals exhibiting suspicious behaviour.
In closing, the recent stoning of a man at Msholozi was also mentioned by Pule. He told members that people needed to be educated not to take the law into their own hands.
The next meeting will be held on August 11 at 18:00 at the police station. For enquiries or complaints, send an email to the chairman on whiterivercpf@gmail.com.
