Dannhauser Police committed to keeping area safe

Dannhauser Police are committed to serving and protecting, despite the huge area they cover.

Many people don’t realize it, but the Dannhauser Police Station has to cover more than 85 areas in their quest to keep the crime rate down.
That involves policing over 858km ² of land which is home to more than 102 000 people.

Major Ntanda, Dannhauser Police Station Commander, said that this made their job very challenging. “The areas are far apart and crime is dispersed among them, we can’t just focus on one area,” he said.
It’s not only distance that plays a factor when policing the area – a lack of street names and numbers in the more rural sectors, also serve as a hindrance.
Major Ntanda said that officers generally asked complainants to provide them with nearby landmarks, to make it easier to find the place they are called out to.

There are also many gruesome crimes that officers have to attend to. “Many of the cases we deal with are domestic violence related. We also have many cases of robberies in the more rural areas where foreign nationals are targeted.” Criminals, knowing that the shop owners don’t bank their money, break through the walls of the shops at night, robbing shop owners who sleep at the back of their stores.

Another major issue is the abuse of alcohol.
There are currently 46 licensed liquor stores in the area, which means that alcohol is always available. Many fights break out and crimes are committed once the alcohol starts flowing.

Despite the many challenges the police face, Major Ntanda assured residents that they were working hard to ensure Dannhauser is kept safe. Police have identified the Dannhauser town and residential areas as well as the Mdakane area as hotspots. At any given time, they have one or two police vans patrolling these areas.

“People must not panic. We are doing everything in our power to keep the crime under control.”