Police action in Fontainebleau Park

Linden Police have responded regarding complaints by residents about crime in Fontainebleau Park. Ward 104 councillor Mike Wood and residents are busy drafting a petition to the City of Johannesburg to better maintain the park, in hope of reducing drug dealing, prostitution, gambling, and vagrancy in the park.

Linden Police Operations Commander Captain Alex Vermaak responded, “We are weekly in contact with City Parks and bylaw enforcement of the JMPD,” he said. “Drug dealing is taking place to specific clients of the dealers and we are recruiting agents to do a buy-and-bust operation. At the moment we have made three arrests in the park relating to illegal possession of drugs.”

Capt Vermaak added that the current state of maintenance in the park creates a perception that it is ‘derelict and unattended’. He encouraged residents to use the park for legal purposes, “as experience has proven that the legal usage of parks is directly linked to the decrease of criminal activities.” He continued that the majority of the park’s users are domestic workers and industrial workers from surrounding houses and businesses.

Capt Vermaak encouraged residents to inform these people about the problems in the park, in order to raise awareness and force criminals to leave. “We will continue our efforts from the policing side to address this problem,” he said, and invited residents to contact the Linden Sector 3 Community Sub Forum chairperson Jenny Jooste through email on sector3@lindensaps.co.za with information on the matter.

Details: Linden Police Station 011 888 9212.