Another visible policing joint operation was conducted in Midrand on March 30 between 19:00 and 22:00, and this time it included all Midrand sectors.
The operation included Midrand Sector 5, Midrand Sector 1 , Midrand Sector 2 and Midrand Sector 3 crime forums, Midrand Community Police Forum (CPF) and Midrand police.
All five sectors in Midrand were patrolled by multiple teams that carried out stops and searches along the way. Suspicious persons and vehicles were checked, and the entire operation then regrouped and conducted a roadblock in the Midrand area.
In Liebenberg Road, Noordwyk, a man in his mid-20s fired shots at the patrollers during attempted housebreaking. The patrollers responded and the perpetrator escaped. “Unfortunately, our area has countless entrances. The search conducted after this scene was fruitless,” said Marvin Maphiri, Midrand CPF and Sector 3 Crime Forum chairperson.
Another incident was that involving three armed men in a white polo who in the process of burgling a house in Liebenberg, Noordwyk in which a shot was fired at the patrollers. “They [three men] fled the scene before response arrived. Our appreciation to all security companies that responded.”
As the patrols were about to come to an end, patrollers received an alert of another housebreaking in Noordwyk. Upon arrival, it was established that two TV sets had been stolen from a house in Bluehills Ext 32. This was a repeat break-in after the perpetrators had apparently stolen cellphones and laptops at the same house in the morning of the same day.
“We also received another alert of housebreaking in Barbary Street Bluehills Ext 15 after 02:00 with a hoover vacuum machine being stolen. The perpetrators fled the scene before we could arrive.”
Maphiri emphasised the significance of installing CCTV cameras in hotspot areas, especially in light of recent crime statistics. “We need to deter these crime syndicates. Let’s all make our necessary contributions.
“Our area has turned into a paradise for criminal activities. We plead with all community members to join the patrolling team. More members are needed for broader coverage and quicker response to crime alerts.”
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