Former acting chairperson of the Sector 5 Crime Forum, Shawn Benningfield, has officially been voted into the throne.
Benningfield, who has been acting in the position for the past six months, said he together with his new committee needed to fight crime in the sector and ultimately in the entire Midrand area.
In the committee, he will be assisted by Simon Scott as the deputy chairperson and Roxanne Kruger as the secretary. Kruger will be helped by Candice Brophy as the deputy secretary while Percy Ingle will serve as the public relations officer.
The vacant treasurer position was not filled as there were no nominees for it. However, if the position is not occupied, it can always be filled by the new committee at a later stage when nominations come forth.
The election session was held at the Midrand Police Station on October 31, from 19:00 to 20:00.
Speaking shortly after the elections, Benningfield said his vision was shifting crime outside Midrand and working closely with the SAPS and private security companies, ‘reducing crime in Greater Midrand, and not only in Sector 5’.
“The safety of the residents is what we are hoping to achieve and thrive on because their safety is most important to us. We need to work on all the sectors in the area and not focus only on one. We have been successful and as I state in my report theft out of the motor vehicle has reduced significantly.”
He said their drive was to get more additional patrollers and was happy that three additional were appointed during the proceedings of the meeting.
Colonel Andre de Klerk, who was speaking on behalf of the station commander, Brigadier Molefi David Tsotsotso, said traffic congestion in the area was a challenge and as such it was affecting their (police’s) response time to crime.
Some of the crime patterns that were reported in Sector 5 include general theft, fraud, shoplifting and driving under the influence.
These occurred mostly on Magwa Crescent, Allandale Road and Waterfall Drive.
Related article: Sector 2 Crime Forum elections done and dusted
