Sector 1 Crime Forum held its first public meeting of the year to announce the sector’s crime statistics.
The meeting was held at Midrand Chapel in Glen Austin on March 11.
The October to December crime statistics were revealed to the attendees by newly appointed sector manager Khomotso Mokhwelepa.
Mokhwelepa said there were six incidents of intent to cause grievous bodily harm, four attempted business burglaries and robberies were reported, and six attempted murders.
“There were19 carjackings in that period and about 28 common assaults and three murders. In Halfway House, Old Pretoria Road [K101] is a notorious road in our sector that contributes to a lot of crime incidents. Business robberies in this suburb are also on the rise because we have a lot of businesses there,” said Mokhwelepa.
He said contact crime decreased by 40%, while attempted murder increased by 100% and common assault decreased by 20%. Common robberies also increased by 42% and 75.9% for business robberies and burglaries, while commercial crimes dropped by 2.6%. Drinking and driving saw an increase of 200% and carjacking, house robberies, and business robberies each increased by 100%.
The forum’s chairperson Jonathan Burrows said cable theft was a major concern in parts of Glen Austin View.
He said most muggings of pedestrians took place near the Bullfrog Pan. “We are not getting a lot of feedback from the community as to break-ins, theft, or even fence cuttings. And if not reported to either SAPS or us, then we are not aware of it and how much of a problem it is. This is not correct and without information, SAPS do not know where the problem areas are and therefore we cannot police the hotspots,” said Burrows.
Lieutenant-Colonel Mmakgomo Semono, the Vispol support head said, “I am the one who provides when our members are short of fleets and other resources to do their job efficiently. Nowadays crime-fighting is everyone’s business and there is a need to intensify our operations around the Midrand area to combat crime.”
He urged members of the community to always come forward with information and be active whistle-blowers.
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