Durban North SAPS community imbizo opens dialogues
Durban North SAPS says the imbizo with the community will occur quarterly going forward.
IN a bid to foster positive relations between the local community and the SAPS, the Durban North Police Station hosted a community imbizo last week.
The imbizo, which the station said will be held quarterly going forward, was held at the Durban North Methodist Church.
It was also a way for residents and various role-players, including the Ward 36 councillor, to voice their concerns.
Heinz de Boer, the Durban North CPF and senior members of the police station were also present.
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The community engagement focused on addressing crimes impacting communities which included a spike in fraud cases.
Station Commander Colonel Jericho Sipho Nkomo, Lieutenant Colonel Detective Commander Wimpy Lombard and Visible Policing (Vispol) Commander Lieutenant Colonel Pam Nair also gave insight into their roles at the station.
Spokesperson for the police station Sergeant Nonhlanhla Shozi said she was grateful for the opportunity to strengthen ties with the community.
“I was pleased with the turnout and the feedback from the residents. We hope to have more. It was important for us as a station to give residents the opportunity to raise their grievances and share suggestions on how we can improve service delivery in the area. It is also a way to open dialogues between the community and the station as well as strengthen our ties. Captain Tracy Mey, commander of the Crime Information Management and Analysis Centre (CIMAC), also spoke to residents about the types of crime we’ve seen an increase in and the prevalence of banking fraud,” she said.
Last week, there were six cases of banking fraud alone.
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Shozi said the scammers target the elderly where they pose as bank officials and concoct a story asking you to provide confidential information.
In some cases, they allege there’s an issue with your bank account or there’s been some sort of fraudulent activity.
They then ask for your banking details and Pin to rectify the issue.
Shozi urged residents not to disclose personal banking information to anyone.
“Banks don’t ask for your account details, password, Pin or the OTP, so that should be the biggest red flag. If you receive an OTP on your phone and you are asked to provide it, do not tell anyone. Our advice is to contact your bank to verify if your account is secure or to let them know that someone tried to call from the bank,” she said.
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