Crime is something too many South Africans have been the victim of and it is a daily battle for the South African police, but reporting crime correctly can mean the difference between a successful conviction in court or a criminal on the loose.
The spokesperson for Fairland Police Station, Constable Michael Kgatla, spoke to the Northcliff Melville Times about the basics of reporting crime and how best to handle the situation.
Whether in an accident or the victim of a house robbery, you need to give police information. In the case of a robbery, you need to list the items stolen, what you know about how they got in and the address.
If your cellphone has been stolen or you have tracked the device, you can contact police to help.
However, ownership of the cellphone needs to be proven, the cellphone number and the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number should be presented.
After your statement and the cellphone number is registered on the police’s system, it will allocate a unique case number to you and you will get an SMS within minutes, along with the details of the officer investigating your case.
The detective in charge of the particular case will go on to complete the investigation and present the docket to the relevant court for prosecution. Residents should be kept informed of any progress and court hearings they need to attend.
And Kgatla said it is much easier to report crime nowadays. Even though the client service centre at the station is open 24/7, sector vehicles can also be called.
“You can call the sector van for help. We are trying to make things easier for the community. We are here to serve you, we will come to you,” he said.
Kgatla did, however, mention that the biggest difficulty police face with people reporting crimes is crime scene contamination.
“You will find that at the scene of a housebreaking, people will have moved around the scene and replaced some items already,” he said. “Rather call the police so we can get the forensic department out to look for fingerprints.”
According to Kgatla, the forensic department should be in contact with the victim soon after the crime was reported. He said it should not take days. But if residents don’t hear from the department, Kgatla urges them to call the station again.
To get involved, residents can join the Fairland Community Policing Forum (CPF) meeting every second Tuesday of the month at 6.30pm in the station’s boardroom.
Details: Fairland police’s two sector vehicles can be reached on either 071 675 6160 or 071 675 6161.
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