Honeydew Police Station has been rated the worst-performing precinct in Gauteng, and fourth-worst nationally, following the release of the latest crime statistics.

Honeydew Community Policing Forum (CPF) chairperson Jon Rosenberg spoke to Newzroom Afrika on the morning the figures were released, sharing his views on the crime situation and the challenges facing the community. In a statement, the forum said the ranking was a serious concern for residents, businesses, SAPS and all stakeholders within the Honeydew policing precinct.

Read more: Linden police strengthen partnerships to reduce crime

Acting Johannesburg district commissioner Brigadier Egen Moodley also spoke to the broadcast station, speaking from outside Honeydew Police Station, where the Gauteng provincial legislature’s community safety committee recently held an oversight visit after the station was rated the worst-performing in the province. When asked how the precinct had ended up at the bottom of the table, Moodley said policing alone could not turn the numbers around. “Crime cannot be dealt with by the police alone. We need an all-of-government, all-of-society approach,” he said.

He pointed to the abuse of alcohol and drugs, poor living conditions and weak infrastructure in areas such as Zandspruit as contributing factors. Moodley said the station serves an estimated 300 000 people across roughly 92km², split into four sectors, a figure that does not include undocumented residents. Police arrested 162 undocumented people in the precinct in the first quarter of the financial year alone, he said.

Pressed on whether a lack of resources was to blame, Moodley did not deny the shortage, but said more staff and vehicles were not the whole answer. “We can never have enough resources, but putting a policeman on every corner of the street, I don’t think it’s effective,” he said, adding that better strategy, community reporting and detective work mattered just as much.

The station currently has four vehicles deployed across its four sectors, with a further six for crime prevention work and fewer than 30 officers assigned to that deployment. Moodley said the station receives roughly 600 reported cases a month, handled by a round-the-clock detective service centre, with extra support from provincial and district operations during high-crime periods.

The interview grew tense when Moodley was pressed on the scale of the problem, with murders in the precinct up 11%, sexual offences up 22% and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm up 26% on the previous year. The interviewer said she was having difficulty with just acceptance the status quo, pushing Moodley for a concrete plan rather than an appeal for more resources.

Also read: City Power arrests contractor employees for infrastructure crime

Moodley said he meets the provincial commissioner every Monday to raise Honeydew’s resourcing challenges, but that decisions on infrastructure, including replacing the station’s ageing mobile-home structure, sit at a national level beyond his authority.

The Honeydew CPF said it remains committed to working alongside the police, law enforcement, security companies and the community to address the challenges facing the area, and to make sure residents’ concerns are heard.

Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest updates!