Stop buying stolen goods, say cops
Due to the escalating rate of house breaking, local police held an anti-stolen goods campaign at the community hall on Saturday.
KABOKWENI – Community members and the police are fed up with the increase in house burglaries in the area.
As a result the police held an anti-stolen goods campaign at the community hall on Saturday.
“The reason why criminals continue stealing from residents is because they have a market and that market could be you.
We urge all community members not to buy goods from people but from registered outlets. If you buy stolen goods you also become a criminal,” said Capt Buti Mashele.
He further said residents should be their neighbours’ keepers by alerting the police when they notice suspicious movement in their yards.
“Raise an alarm but we plead with you not to resort to mob justice but work with your community policing forums (CPF) and the SAPS.
We are as concerned as you are about crime in the area and we will always act swiftly to attend to any of your concerns,” added Mashele.
Chairperson of the local CPF, Mr Paulos Khoza assured the residents that the forum is dedicated to fighting crime in the area and further advised them not to withhold any information that may lead to busting the criminals.
“We urge you not to protect any criminals but provide information that may lead to their arrest so that we can live in crime-free communities.
The community responded by pledging to join the police and fight criminal activities in the area.
“We have had enough of people violating us by breaking into our homes to steal things that we worked for.
We are not going to sit back and watch. We will be hands on and cooperate with the police,” said one of the residents, Mr Themba Zitha.
