Residents in Waterkloof may be welcoming the festive season, but they are not resting on their laurels in the fight against crime in the suburb in association with the Brooklyn police.
In a newsletter, the Homeowners’ Association thanked the police and Brigadier Andre Wiese for their sterling work and support throughout the year. “While crime is, sadly, an ongoing part of our lives today, we in the Brooklyn precinct are fortunate enough to be supported by a professional team from the Brooklyn police. Crime in Sector 2 remains a concern and while there is no serious negative trend developing, we have been victims of several serious incidents of armed robbery, house break-ins, hijacking and theft,” the letter said.
“While such incidents are very perturbing, we are able to give you our assurance that all resources are being professionally deployed to combat these crimes. In the last month, numerous arrests were made with regard to many of the incidents in our area. Having said this, we need to remember that crime has no boundaries and many crimes are committed by criminals who are also apprehended in other parts of the country.” According to Carl Stegmann of the residential management services, which coordinates security efforts within the surrounding suburbs, most reported cases could have been prevented.
“On average, we still find that the majority of crimes reported in Brooklyn relate to ‘avoidable crimes’ where, if people took greater care and became more aware of the threat and their surroundings, these could possibly have been avoided. These crimes are related to theft out of motor vehicles, theft of motor vehicles and theft from homes where the perpetrator gained easy access to the property.”
Stegmann also called on residents to join the combined operations. “Relationships are growing in strength. However, we still struggle with support from our community members. We are aiming to grow our membership in Sector 2 to over 2 000, which will ensure that we have a strong and dynamic organisation serving the interests of the community.”
