Community hires patrolman to monitor street
Residents of Mackenzie Park are tired of criminals taking advantage of them and are now fighting back against crime.
Community members have bolstered security in their street (which they don’t want to identify) by hiring a security guard to protect them against criminals in the suburb.
Tersia Bester and Ragi Lala initiated the project, after a police officer was attacked in her home earlier this year.
“The attack was a wake up call for the street; I can’t believe that they were so cheeky as to targeted a police officer’s home,” said Bester.
Bester, a Mackenzie Park resident of 30 years and a member of the Community Policing Forum, said that “residents of the street agreed and pledged to make sure nothing else happens in the street”.
They have employed a patrolman, who monitors the street during the day, between 6am and 7pm.
They have also asked the security company to increase patrols in the street at night.
According to Bester and Lala, this is only the beginning, as they are now working to install cameras on the street.
The residents are also considering closing off one end of the street and installing a boom at the other.
Of the 27 households, Bester said that 23 are paying towards the patrolman.
“The area has a lot of crime; we want to say ‘no more’, and tell criminals to stay away from our street,” she added.
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