Police listed a series of criminal acts that took place over the last few weeks during the monthly Community Policing Forum (CPF) meeting and expressed concern over the increase of crime in Msholozi. People apparently come to Msholozi to target and rob shops owned by foreigners.
The Yaverland, Jatinga and Plaston areas are still very busy crime-wise, with housebreakings and theft out of motor vehicles still occurring in the residential areas. People were urged not to leave their valuables in their vehicles during the night.
The spate of dog poisoning was also mentioned, with police confirming that only one case had been reported. It was suspected that expensive vehicles were targeted and the dogs incapacitated to keep them from raising alarm.
Crime intelligence found that in the last month and a half, most crimes in the town’s extensions were committed between Wednesday and Friday.
The representative of Kingsview informed the meeting that two speed humps had been approved to be erected in the area and if need be they will apply for more. This followed several incidents of people speeding in that area. He also told the meeting that they suspected that drug dealers were active in King’s Park and urged residents to be cautious.
At Benrock they have experienced an increase in attempted burglaries and were increasing patrols to combat these. Curlews’ representative mentioned that besides the attack on one of their residents, there had been suspicious-looking vehicles in the area. He urged community members to join the CPF and become a part of their radio network, as improved communication meant they could come to residents’ aid quicker.
Heidel Valley was also quieter and their representative said it seemed like crop theft had decreased. In Peebles, on the other hand, they’ve had stock theft and reported a lot of movement at night.
In Spioenkop they had trouble with a number of veld fires and had experienced timber theft. Following the various crimes reported, the CPF chairman urged residents to follow the correct procedures when reporting crimes. Community members should first phone the police’s call centre before calling the security company. In a recent case police were only notified of the situation after security companies and emergency services had been on the scene.
The chairman highlighted the importance of securing crime scenes by cordoning them and avoiding them from being trampled by well-meaning bystanders.
Const Cynthia Mbokodo thanked all the community members who helped them with their events for Mandela Day. She also mentioned that they will hold awareness campaigns in Msholozi to give people information on the problem crimes and to get them to report it to the police.
Community members were also urged to complete the customer-satisfaction survey on police services available at the police station or from the CPF.
