Vagrancy and illegal vendors top agenda at CPF meeting in Weltevreden Park
Authorities explain why quick fixes aren't always possible when tackling complex social issues in the suburbs.
Sector Two of the Honeydew Community Police Forum facilitated an interesting engagement between residents, Honeydew police, and JMPD at Weltevreden Park Primary School on Thursday, June 26.
During the meeting, residents expressed various concerns, including vagrancy, which they say is getting out of hand in their suburbs.
Honeydew police’s operational commander, Lieutenant Colonel Andrè Lamprecht, took note of complaints regarding vagrancy, assuring the gathered residents that the police, JMPD, and the Department of Social Development hold regular operations in an attempt to address this problem.
“Unfortunately, it’s not quite as simple as just chasing them away,” he says. “Our operations usually involve us rounding up displaced people and transporting them to the police station, where we check their fingerprints to ensure they are not wanted or connected to a crime.
“We also check their immigration status.
“Those who are wanted are arrested, and those illegally in the country are handed over to the Department of Home Affairs.
“The rest are taken to the state-run shelters, where they are given a plate of food, a warm place to sleep, and the opportunity to engage with a social worker.
“If they choose to, they can be taken up in the various rehabilitation and skills development programmes offered by the Department of Social Development. Unfortunately, they rarely choose this option, and they are back on the streets the next day.”
Lamprecht added that capacity at the state shelters is also very limited.
Honeydew CPF chairperson Jon Rosenberg said that vagrancy is typically fueled by demand.
“People give them money, food, and employment,” he says. “You’ll find that many of them beg at your intersections, or find day labour doing menial work in the community.”
Residents brought up a variety of subjects, including illegal vendors, gathering places for work seekers, taxis and scholar transport providers causing traffic problems, dangerous intersections that require traffic calming measures, and an alleged drug den being operated in the area.
Police officers took note of the complaints and assured residents they would look into the matters raised.
