Cops ready for criminals
As residents settle into the festive seasons, police said they would be clamping down on criminals.
Police have vowed to step up anti-crime operations in the east of Pretoria this holiday season.
Brooklyn police would not rest this festive period, said spokesperson Captain Colette Weilbach.
A particular objective would be to increase visibility in residential areas.
“As many people go on holiday this time of the year, property-related theft like house burglaries, and theft out of motor vehicles tend to go up. As such, we will be increasing our visible patrols, especially in residential areas,” said Weilbach.
“We will also focus on drug crimes and drunk drivers. That is why we urge everyone to act responsibly and not drink and drive.”
Weilbach commended the efforts of CPFs, security agencies, community patrollers and the Hatfield CID in helping to curb crime.
“We have been very successful in fighting crime this year. It has only been possible with the valuable assistance of the community,” she said.
Crime in the east of Pretoria often made headlines in the past year.
As the year is drawing to a close and families prepare for the annual pilgrimage from Pretoria to the coast, we look back at the top stories of the year.
These are the ones that left us shocked, made us laugh and cry in equal measure, and the ones that will continue to unfold into 2016, the Chinese year of the red fire monkey.
Stories to be remembered for years include the assassination of North West businessman Wandile Bozwana on the Garsfontein offramp, the apparent attempted abductions of young children and the #FeesMustFall student protests.
Prominent North West businessman Wandile Bozwana was brutally assassinated on the Garsfontein offramp on Friday 2 October. Two men have since been arrested in connection with the assassination.
A string of apparent attempted abductions of young children rocked the city. Young children and babies were the apparent targets of abductors operating in public spaces across the city.
These attempts spurned Rekord, along with key stakeholders in the security industry, to launch the #KeepPTAKidsSafe campaign.
On 23 October, thousands of irate students from universities across the province marched to the Union Buildings calling for all school fees to be scrapped. The movement, dubbed #FeesMustFall, resulted in widespread chaos and looting in the city.
Marching from Burgers Park and the University of Pretoria, thousands of students danced and sang in the streets, calling for a 0% fee increase to university fees and the eventual scrapping of all education fees.
Upon arrival at the Union Buildings, a small group of students started rioting, calling for President Jacob Zuma to address their demands.
When he failed to show, the students attacked police and journalists before taking to the streets to loot stores and attack police cars.
Zuma eventually announced a 0% fee increase in tertiary education fees for 2016, but the #FeesMustFall campaign is still going strong.
This will surely be remembered as a year of change and revolution, a year for the history books.
Also read:
#FeesMustFall student protest underway
Rekord’s #keepPTAkidssafe kicks off
Two arrested after assassination
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