The City of Johannesburg’s MMC for Public Safety, Michael Sun, has met with Joburg police stations to set out a plan to fight crime hotspots in Fourways, Randburg and Sandton.
The Douglasdale, Sandton, Randburg and Linden police stations sat down with the MMC, ward councillors and Metro police on 8 August.
An increase in smash-and-grab crimes around William Nicol Drive, Ballyclare Drive, Leslie Avenue, Montecasino Boulevard, Kingfisher Drive and Witkoppen Road have prompted police to set an action plan in place.
Douglasdale police have engaged with security companies and the Community Policing Forum (CPF) on these hotspots.
Metrics that show common times of the crimes taking place have been drafted and police officers who are assigned a case in the area are required to do observations, often in civilian clothing.
But by police’s capacity lacking, the station is asking any business or sponsors to place CCTVs in the surrounding areas to keep on monitoring.
The stations are also working together. Randburg police’s station commander Brigadier Michelle Jones said they started observations a month ago and have been able to collect data that still needs to be analysed.
“We take details from the displaced people living in the open spaces next to the road.”
Her biggest challenge, however, is victims who do not report cases immediately or who never show up when suspects have been arrested.
Douglasdale Sector 4 CPF’s Freda Boiles said the current attitude of the community is that the police never do anything, so there is no point in reporting a crime.
Sun said that even though there are challenges between the two, police and community must not be divided.
“We want the community to see the bigger picture and help us fight the fight,”
Sun agreed that victims need to come forward if arrests are made, as others criminals will only return.
“They keep coming back because they know there is no consequence.”
Now, both the South African police and Joburg’s Metro police will join hands and devise a strategy to create awareness and increase visible policing and observations.
The second meeting in two weeks’ time has been arranged to finalise a plan.
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