Smash-and-grabbers are encountering heavy opposition in the Honeydew Police cluster. This thanks to an initiative formulated by the Honeydew Community Policing Forum, and enacted by local security companies. “A lot of community members were reporting [smash-and-grab incidents] at different spots,” said the forum’s Sector 1 chairperson Greg Pearce. “I thought why not put a vehicle at each place.”
Pearce devised a plan to attend to nine smash-and-grab hotspots at the same time, by persuading nine local security companies to each “adopt an intersection”. For the last three weeks these companies have been guarding smash-and-grab hotspots as often as possible, in the mornings and late afternoons on weekdays.
The forum’s public relations officer Jon Rosenberg said that the initiative has prevented many smash-and-grab incidents at these hotspots. “It is a great initiative and also a marketing opportunity [for the security companies],” he said.
The hotspots and their security companies include:
- Corner Rabie Street and Monkor Road – Community Support Services and Ghost Squad Tactical.
- Corner Rabie Street and Ysterhout Drive – Chubb.
- Hans Schoeman Street over the N1 Highway – Ghost Squad Tactical and Community Support Services.
- CR Swart Drive under the N1 bridge – UTM.
- Where Beyers Naudé Drive meets the N1 Highway – SOS Protec Sure.
- Corner Beyers Naudé Drive and Jim Fouché Road – EC Security Services.
- Haak-en-Steek Street under the N1 Highway – Beagle Watch.
- N1 14th Avenue off-ramp – Dunmar Protection and Security.
- Corner Malibongwe Drive and President Fouché Road – SOS Protec Sure.
Pearce concluded that the initiative does not have an end date yet, but it will continue for “a while”. Pearce is also the CEO of Community Support Services.
Details: Honeydew Police 011 801 8613/4/5; Honeydew Community Policing Forum info@honeydew-cpf.org.za or 011 801 8576.
