Police urge residents to report all crimes
“It came under the attention of the Villeria police that not all crimes are being reported by the community.”
Residents have been urged to report all criminal activities to the police, including minor ones. The police and other interested parties said during a CPF meeting last week, that residents did not report all crimes, said Reinhard Raschke MCS Security.
“The statistics we had did not correspond with that of the police,” he said.“This brought us to the conclusion that residents did not report all crimes.”
Villieria police spokesperson Captain Coba Brits said the police needed residents’ help to report crime.
“It has come under the attention of the Villeria police that not all crimes are being reported by the community,” she said. Brits said there could be several reasons why residents did not report crimes.
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“This is why the police are urging the public to report crime, no matter the circumstances,” she said. “By reporting a crime, a clear picture of the criminal tendencies can be formulated,” she said.
“It will help to bring the person who committed the crime to justice – this could help to prevent further crime and protect others from becoming victims.”
Brits said by not reporting a crime, minor crimes could turn into more serious crimes if the perpetrators realised that they could get away with doing the crime.
“Reporting a crime also allows you to help your community – all crimes and anti-social behaviour have a negative effect and reporting them can help to address this problem and improve the area that you are staying in,” she said.
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“Identifying similar modus operandi could also assist the police in identifying the culprits.”
While Brits emphasised that it was important to report all crimes, she said there was also information needed by the police when reporting a crime.
She said wherever possible, residents should tell the police the following:
- As much information as you can about the incident (location, time and the descriptions of those involved).
- If you know who the suspect is or how they might be able to contact them.
- Details of other witnesses.
- How the crime has affected you and if you need any counselling.
- Your contact details or any changes to your contact details in case the police needs to contact you.
- If you notice any further information contact the detective investigating your case.
Brits said the Villieria police had an interest in the safety and security of the Moot community.
They do regular outreaches and operations in the policing area. One such operation was an awareness activity on women and child abuse last Friday.
“Our goal is to make the Moot community safe,” she said.
“Residents could assist us in our fight by reporting all crimes.”
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