DEAR Editor,-
Every time we speak to someone, or see another post on social media, it seems to be about the latest spate of house break-ins or home invasions – and even rape and serious assault.
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We had a meeting recently for residents of Leisure Bay and Munster and estimated that these two relatively small and not particularly wealthy communities spend almost R2-million a year on security via armed response companies and neighbourhood watches.
If you are not fortunate enough to be able to pay for this extra security you rely on Saps, who, by their own admission are ‘thin on the ground’.
They are also not allowed to work overtime anymore, I believe.
We are short of tens of thousands of policemen and yet ministers still spend millions on their own VIP protection. How can this be?
From what I see, every community along the coast and inland is reporting an increase in crime.
We are not allowed to see the statistics, the promised ‘Quarterly Crime Statistics’ have not been released, for obvious reasons.
We lock ourselves into our homes behind bars and arm our alarms, if we are lucky enough to have one, and pray that tonight we won’t be the target.
The police tell us to create a ‘safe cell’ within our homes where we can wait out an invasion and wait for help to arrive. Really?
The setting is ripe for vigilantes as desperate people take the law into their own hands. We need to have a police service that is fully staffed, equipped, trained and with high morale.
I really hope and pray that when elections come next year, everyone will seize the chance to use the one thing robbers can’t take away from them – and vote out this totally useless ANC government.
It is time to give the DA the chance. Even though policing is a national government prerogative, DA governments have strengthened metro policing services to keep communities safe.
They have proved that they can make a difference, everywhere that they DO govern!
STEPHANIE BREEDT
DA PR Councillor
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