Lemba in the hot seat at CPF Imbizo

Germiston SAPS station commander Brig Nkhensani Lemba was in the hot seat at Lambton Klip Sector Four CPFs Imbizo at Afrikaanse Hoërskool Germiston, last Thursday.

The CPF held the Imbizo to give Lemba the opportunity to introduce herself and her management team and to clearly state her’s and the police’s mandate and role in the community.

The meeting also allowed community members a chance to ask the station commander questions about crime and crime prevention in their area.

“We wanted to have as many residents as possible at the meeting so that they had the opportunity to speak directly to the officer in charge of their precinct,” said Renee Germishuisen (chairperson of Lambton Klip Sector Four CPF, Germiston Station and Ekurhuleni West Zone).

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Before Lemba fielded questions from the gathered crowd Const Maureen Lekoloane (Sector manager for Germiston Sector Four) shared some crime statistics with residents.

“We have 17 main offences reported to us by the community,” said Lekoloane.

“These crimes are broken into four categories, namely, contact crimes, contact-related crimes, property-related crimes and other serious crimes.

“We have seen a drop in all four categories, but a rise in the number of burglaries at non-residential premises, fraud and shoplifting cases being reported.

“The most offences are reported in Lambton, followed by Hazel Park.

“We believe the large number of shopping complexes, poor security measures, undocumented foreign nationals, poor street lighting, abandoned and dilapidated houses and buildings and the large number of recyclers in the area contribute to the crimes being committed,” said Lekoloane.

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Lemba then took to the floor and introduced herself and the management team before taking questions from residents.

One of the questions asked by the community was how domestic worker profiling works.

“We have a system which could be compared to that of the Department of Home Affairs that contains all the information of all citizens that have ever had their fingerprints taken,” Lemba explained.

“The data includes a person’s ID number, real first name and surname, aliases used and last known addresses.

“So when a person wants to screen their domestic worker, a process which can be done through your local CPF structures, the fingerprint is run and the data provided.

“We must know who we intend to employ and who we allow to enter our properties and lives.

“It is, however, difficult to track foreign nationals as in most cases these people don’t have work permits or passports,” she said.

Another resident questioned if it was worth attempting to report crime to the police, stating they had been turned away on two occasions when trying to report a robbery.

“The officers at the duty desk will take chances with the public and they will continue to do so if they are not taken to task about it,” said Lemba.

“If you are unhappy about the service you receive from the Germiston police, call me.

“Don’t hesitate to do this.”

The safety of learners walking home from school was also a concern for community members, as they are reportedly being robbed of their cellphones, laptops and other valuables.

“School children should not parade their wares when walking home,” urged Lemba.

“Remember, criminals are opportunists who steal for what they can see.

“If your child walks home playing on his or her phones, this is almost too good to resist for criminals.”

Lemba fielded several more questions and ended the question and answer portion of the evening by encouraging residents to know their community and work hand-in-hand with police.

“Make a point to get to know your neighbours.

“Make an active effort to know at least four people or a family that lives close to you.

“Let’s work together because you are ultimately our eyes and ears,” said Lemba.

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Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za or Kgotsofalang Mashilo (journalist) kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za

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