Pretoria North police have warned motorists and residents not to give money to street beggars.
“Research has shown that 80 to 90 percent of them are drug or alcohol addicts,” police spokesperson Captain Rebecca Phatlane told Rekord.
“Most of the time they will use the money they’ve received from begging to feed their habit,” she said.
Residents should rather support registered charities in their area to ensure funds are being used well.
The north crisis centre has a list of registered charities that help homeless people in the area.
Police have issued a new pamphlet with information everyone needs to know – from reporting accidents to securing your home against gate motor thieves.
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Phatlane said the police and the crisis centre had noted an increase in fraudulent claims reported at the station.
“Perjury is a criminal offence and punishable by law,” warned Phatlane.
“People should consider that making a false statement or affidavit will result in criminal charges against them.”
There has also been an increase in stolen gate motors and water meters in the area.
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“We urge residents to take the necessary precautions to protect their property from theft,” said Phatlane.
The procedure for reporting vehicle accidents has also changed this year.
The new procedure requires parties involved in an accident to report the matter personally (if not hospitalised) at the nearest SAPS station, within 24 hours of the accident.
Neglecting to do so could result in the driver being prosecuted.
Residents are urged to be patient when reporting accidents.
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“It is essential that the information recorded on the system is an accurate reflection of the circumstances of the road accident, and that the form is correctly completed. This may take some time.”
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