THE spike in crime, the jurisdiction of Metro Police and the SAPS, as well as the role of the Community Policing Forum (CPF) were just some of the topics covered at the Town Hall Meeting last week.

The meeting, hosted by Ward 35 councillor Nicole Bollman, saw representatives from various security companies, members of the Durban North police station and the Durban North/uMhlanga CPF answer questions from concerned residents in the area.

In all, 124 residents attended the meeting hosted at Glenashley Junior Primary School.

“The hope is now to host a Town Hall Meeting like this every quarter. I felt it was important for the community to know the roles of law enforcement and to facilitate dialogue about crime trends and other service-delivery related issues. An important message from the Durban North SAPS was to report all crime-related incidents as this is important, especially for the allocation of police resources.

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“We know the station is facing challenges in terms of manpower and every crime, no matter how ‘small’, needs to be reported. Quite often, people will say crime is on the increase, but if a crime is not reported, the crime stats won’t reflect this. Because of this, police resources may be allocated to other areas where crimes are reported. We were also given insight into some of the crimes that have spiked, including trespassing, house break-ins and theft,” Bollman said.

Chairman of the Durban North/uMhlanga CPF, Haden Searles, explained the role of the CPF to the community.

“Essentially, the CPF is the link between the community and the SAPS. We have an excellent relationship between the station and our members, as well as various security companies who patrol the area. Last year, during the KZN unrest, we had 3 000 members join our ranks to bolster our resources and keep the area safe. Sadly, only 16 of that number continued being active members of the forum afterwards.

“We have spoken about the constraints placed on the SAPS, and that is why community participation is what is needed. In order to combat crime, we need to work together and have as many eyes patrolling as possible. Captain Tracey Mey of the Durban North police station also touched on the importance of reporting crime, and I hope that message is heard loud and clear – we need to report all crime,” he said.

He also encouraged residents to visit the CPF website: www.dnucpf.co.za.

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