CPF meeting update residents on crime stats
Douglasdale CPF has held their quarterly community meeting at Indaba Hotel on May 9.
On May 9, the Douglasdale CPF held their quarterly community meeting at the Indaba Hotel. This forum was a platform for various stakeholders and ward councillors to come together and discuss the safety and security concerns of the community.
Although some ward councillors were unable to attend due to other commitments, community members were present to share their initiatives and ideas to enhance the safety and security of the area.
Read more: Douglasdale CPF advises community to be vigilant
The Douglasdale police took the stand to give an overview of the crime stats in the past months in the four sectors. The police said Sector 2, is the highest with 45% of the crime rate, followed by Sector 1 with 23%, while Sector 3 is the lowest with only 15% which is only 1% less than Sector 4.
“The crime overview according to categories, the highest is common assault, followed by assault GBH, then theft out of motor vehicle, burglary at residential areas, and malicious damage to property. The other contributing crimes after these top five are attempted murder, burglary at business premises, business robbery, carjacking, and common robbery, among others which do not exceed 6%.”
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The community members were advised to refrain from offering monetary incentives to the unregulated traffic controllers who operate at various intersections. This is mainly because a majority of these individuals deliberately damage traffic lights in order to justify their solicitation of funds from motorists.
In many cases, this is attributed to their drug and substance abuse habits, which only exacerbates the issue further, according to the chair of the forum, Lizzy Mabena.
“We recommend that motorists rather treat the intersections where traffic lights are not working as three-way stops instead of relying on these informal pointsmen because they treat them as if it is their office and are there to work. We also appeal to the JMPD to assist. Another issue is the job seekers – please stop giving jobs to people who are seeking in places that are not zoned for such because it invites more others. We have various organisations that can assist them; please help them by getting them in touch with such organisations.”
Ward 94 councilor David Foley admits that traffic lights and water continue to be challenges in his ward. He said driving from Lonehill just to attend the meeting at Indaba Hotel took longer than expected because of the traffic lights that are not working on Boulevard Road.
“They are going to be fixed soon. They fall under the provincial roads and I think they are struggling with budget and resources. We understand these challenges, so we will keep on pushing them to fix those lights.”
The forum has asked the residents to be patient with a team of volunteers named Community in Blue as they also try to work together with the police to fight against crime.
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