More assault cases in Vryheid than ever before

VRYHEID SAPS’ Communications Officer, Cheryl Venter, believes that the lack of proper communication between people is the cause for rising assault cases in town.

According to Captain Venter, the local police station is currently struggling to bring down the rate of assault cases being reported to them regularly.

“I would really like to see less crime and more communication among community members,” said Captain Venter to Vryheid Herald journalist recently.

She believes that a lot of the violence in town would decrease if people chose to not always resort to beating each other up, instead of actually listening to each other’s views on whatever situation they disagree on.

ALSO READ: Former Vryheid High learner among the four shot dead in Nquthu

“My dad had a policy that if any of us had a problem, he would make us sit together and resolve it. We were not allowed to get up until we had spoken to each other about what was bothering us no matter how long it took. Not speaking to each other was not an option, and this is the lesson that has stuck with us until today,” Captain Venter concluded.

Local pastor, John McKenzie, who also provides anger management classes, said that most violent outbursts are the result of the current stressful times we are living in.

“It is very important to maintain healthy relationships where one can communicate with the other party easily. If you do not explain to the other person why you have a problem with them and how you can resolve it, they won’t know. Consider that they might not perceive the issue as deeply as you do,” explained Pastor Mckenzie.

ALSO READ: PREVIEW (Video): Vryheid rape accused says 6-year old was his girlfriend

With issues such as unemployment on the rise, Pastor McKenzie said that it is easy for people to lash out more easily due to their frustrations regarding their financial constraints.

Whatever the causes for these disputes, the Vryheid police station is hoping that community members will come to the end of their violent brawls and learn to live together harmoniously.

Between 2016/17, 156,450 common assault cases were recorded throughout the country.

On average, this meant that at least 429 people were victims of common assault every day.

The assault rate decreased from 300 per 100,000 people to 280 in 2016/17.

The Institute for Security Studies cautions that these statistics often do not reflect reality. “Police statistics for assault are notoriously unreliable because most victims don’t report these crimes to the police. Since the victim and perpetrator may be related (such as in a case of domestic violence), victims are often reluctant to disclose assault.”

Community members are encouraged to report these cases to the Vryheid SAPS, instead of taking matter into their own hands.