As the festive season approaches, crime activities tend to increase, and Midrand authorities have vowed to work around the clock to ensure the safety of residents.
The Midrand Sector 3 Crime Forum announced September crime statistics on October 24 which indicated a 150% increase in hijackings while common robbery increased by a whopping 73.3% compared to the same month last year.
As a start to mitigate against crime, Midrand Police Station, the crime forum and the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) held a crime awareness campaign. The aim was to educate and distribute pamphlets to the residents of Noordwyk in San Ridge Square shopping centre on October 26.
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Midrand police spokesperson Constable Eliot Mabulane said festive season crime needed to be tackled early. He said they also wanted to address the scourge of gender-based violence and property-related crimes among many concerns. “Since we are approaching the festive season, we thought we should start early and sensitise our community. Especially motorists, they need to always check their cars manually after using central locking because we know we have perpetrators who use car jamming to access your car,” said Mabulane.
He said property owners needed to know how to safeguard their properties while they are away on a holiday.
Mabulane added that the Midrand Police Station Commander Brigadier Molefi David Tsotsotso has issued an instruction to the crime prevention unit to start conducting patrols and more awareness campaigns.
Otto Ramokoka, Sector 3 patrol commander, who is responsible for organising patrols based on crime trends, said they want to educate the community about the level of crime in their sector. “Crime statistics show us that it has gone up in our sector, and the community should remain more vigilant. The stats also show us that at the moment we are under siege. The campaign came about when we held our Exco and sector manager meeting. We gave residents flyers on preventative measures against various crime categories,” said Ramokoka.
He said the sector needed more community members to volunteer to join the patrol team. To enquire about joining, or for more information, please contact 076 157 6851 or email cpfsector3.noordwyk@gmail.com
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