Residents cautioned to remain vigilant at CPF meeting
JOBURG - Sandton residents were cautioned to ensure their valuables are kept locked away and to avoid carrying around large amounts of money. This stern warning was given at the Sandton Community Police Forum open community meeting in Woodmead.
Chairperson of the forum, Wendy Vorster-Robertson, opened proceedings by explaining the purpose and function of the forum.
Also present at the meeting was Brigadier Allan Billings, station commander of the Sandton police, who presented an overview of criminal activities in the area.
“Crimes such as theft out of motor vehicle and theft of motor vehicle have been a common occurrence in our area and as the Sandton police, we wish we could say the area was safe but that would be a lie,” he said.
Despite this, Billings explained, there had been a downward trend of crime in the area, with the average decreasing from the previous years.
Other crimes emphasised in Billings’ report included carjacking and driveway robberies, adding that the latter had seen a decrease since the “Rolex gang” had been apprehended.
“Of course we were disappointed that, despite strong evidence against this so-called gang, they received bail but we are confident due process will be followed during the trial,” he said.
Other burning issues brought to light during the meeting included report-backs by the police, which community members accused the police of not fully adhering to.
Colonel Guy Kilian, head of the detective service, stressed this issue as an essential task for the police to do.
“There is no excuse to not give back feedback on issues. It must be a priority but members must also understand that resources, such as the availability of laptops for staff members, remain a problem on our side,” he said.
The open meeting took place at the country club Johannesburg, on 1 October at 6pm.
