The Vispol commander of Reiger Park Captain Muziwakhe Lucas Nkwanyana said contact crime cases have dropped in the first quarter of this year, compared to last year, in Reiger Park.
“Last year in the first quarter, contact crime cases were 45, however, this year 39 contact crimes were reported to us.”
Nkwanyana said although the cases have dropped, the problem of residents reporting crimes and then withdrawing the charges persists.
“The challenge for us is that these retractions affect our service delivery to the community and we have no choice but to release those who have cases withdrawn against them.
“Most contact crimes happen at home and among families. They are categorised as domestic violence, assault, robbery, sexual offences, attempted murder, murder and GBV. Very often, these contact crimes are committed by people under the influence of drugs or alcohol, which they procure from illegal shebeens and drug dealers.
“We initiate crime prevention operations and take part in the Okae Molao operations led by the district police officers whenever they take place in our area. Through these operations, we have arrested 12 drug dealers and closed five illegal shebeens,” said Nkwanyana.
Warrant Officer Samuel Botha said they are also doing crime prevention awareness campaigns weekly to help curb crime.
“We also conduct stop-and-search operations from Thursday to Saturday. This year, we have seen a decline in a lot of crimes that are usually reported at our station. We have only had one hijacking reported, for example. Last year, eight burglaries were reported and this year only three so far,” said Botha.
“The number of drinking and driving cases have increased though. Last year we made one arrest for this offence and this year we have already made 12 arrests.”
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