CHAIRMAN of the Durban North/uMhlanga Community Policing Forum (CPF), Haden Searles, has welcomed the release of the annual crime statistics report which shows most crime in the policing precinct decreasing considerably.
In the past, the station has dealt with a high number of robberies at residential premises reported and thefts out of motor vehicles however the release of the local station crime results show a decrease in these crimes.
However, Searles did caution residents from getting carried away by the good news.
“I think the stats do make for good reading and the success of the drop in crime levels should be celebrated, but we must bear in mind, these stats are several months old. What matters is what crimes are being committed in our areas currently. I’ve always maintained the best way to get a sense of what is going on in your area is to join the CPF or a local neighbourhood watch, that way you get real time crime stats and see what types of crime are affecting the community. At the moment we’ve seen an increase in the muggings of pedestrians which is cause for concern and I know the station commander and the station are aware of the spike,” he said.
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Speaking on the drop in the crime rate, Searles said the station and the CPF also had a role to play in the successes.
“With the limited resources and manpower the Durban North SAPS have at their disposal, they’ve done an incredible job. The station commander, Col Gopaul Naidoo, and the visible policing commander, Col Sikhumbuzo Mbanjwa, deserve recognition for their implementation of crime fighting strategies. I also feel the CPF, neighbourhood watches and the security companies in the area have contributed to the success.
“The collaboration between the police and the community is definitely something to laud. The increase in the ANPR cameras, the cordon and search initiatives and the roadblocks across the policing precinct are all strategies that have contributed to the crime rate dropping significantly. Having said that, I feel the station could make even greater strides if they had more resources allocated to them,” Searles said.
Captain Raymond Deokaran, spokesman for the station, concurred with Searles, saying the successes also came down to crime trends awareness.
“As a station we are very pleased with the crime stats and if you look over the last five years we’ve made serious inroads against various crimes. One of the areas where we averaged more than 350 cases a year has been theft out of motor vehicles but due to our ongoing awareness campaigns and targeted strategies we’ve managed to bring the rate of thefts out of vehicles below 280,” he said.
Deokaran said the station would continue to work to bring down crime in the area and said police were also specifically focusing on the muggings of pedestrians in the area.
In other crime news: Man shot dead inside bank on Chris Hani Road
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