THE release of the annual crime statistics last week by Police Minister, General Bheki Cele has had mixed results for the Durban North and Greenwood Park police stations. While both significantly reduced crime in certain areas, a few areas of concern remain for both policing precincts.
Spokesperson for the Durban North SAPS, Captain Raymond Deokaran, 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.
“With the limited resources and manpower the Durban North SAPS have at their disposal, we have done an incredible job. The station commander and the visible policing commander 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,” he said.
One of the stats of concern for the Durban North station was the increase in drunk driving cases.
“It is concerning that there has been more drunken driving arrests in the period mentioned in the stats, however, the stats also reflect we are doing more visible policing and roadblocks to curb drunk driving. We are making more arrests for this kind of crime,” he said.
Chairman of the Greenwood Park SAPS, Robin Candy, said while the crime stats made for good reading, he cautioned residents from getting carried away by the good news.
“I think the stats do make for good reading however I feel certain crimes are being under reported in this policing precinct. As the CPF we are encouraging residents to report incidents of crime. What we’ve seen an increase in recent months is house break-ins which also reflect an increase in the national stats. What has been a positive for this policing precinct has been the work of the neighbourhood watches and community WhatsApp groups who have kept the community informed about incidents and kept them vigilant to specific trends.
“We’ve also worked well with the Greenwood Park SAPS station commander, Col Mbongeni Mngadi who is trying his best. 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,” he said.
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