‘Tis the season to be wary

IT IS that time of the year again! Some call it the silly season, others call it the festive season and others see it as an opportunity to further their criminal activities to the detriment of you and I and the whole community.

Unfortunately it is the time of the year when crime statistics skyrocket and while we, as law abiding citizens, are supposed to be in a phase of euphoria and celebrations, we are forced to be vigilant, careful, nigh paranoid, to protect ourselves from these criminals. They target our homes, our businesses, our vehicles and all other items they can lay their filthy hands on. And apart from being criminals, they are also cowards. They prefer soft targets: females, the elderly and even children. Violence is a preferred option and in many cases part of the modus operandi.

For all of the above the latest initiative by the Community Police Forum (CPF), called Youth Against Crime, is to be applauded. Young, unemployed people from the area are drafted to assist the police in monitoring sites traditionally associated with crime over the holiday period. The youth monitors will all be wearing T-shirts clearly marked “Youth Against Crime”. It is the second year of this initiative and follows on the success of last year’s pilot project. The initiative is supported by the Tzaneen Chamber of Commerce and members of the organization and will hopefully assist in protecting the soft targets. It is a welcome measure by SAPS and the community to curb crime and we salute everybody involved in this initiative.