Westonaria Police engage with Glenharvie residents
Streetlights not working, murder, and attempted murder were but some of the issues raised by Glenharvie residents when they engaged with police recently.
Westonaria Police Station Commander Colonel Jury Ferreira is applying the hands-on approach and left her office to join her fellow men and women in blue by embarking on a community engagement session in Glenhavie on Wednesday, March 8.
Senior officials from the station also joined in.
According to Westonaria Police spokesperson Sergeant Audrey Sefara, the focus of the session was to encourage the community to establish a neighbourhood watch group in the area.
“The engagement went both ways and was fruitful, to say the least. We decided to join hands and hit the streets to engage with the community and encourage them to establish neighbourhood watch groups in their areas. We also spoke to them about the importance of joining the sector sub-structure and the community policing forum structures.
“This is due to the rise of trio crimes such as hijackings, business robberies, and house robberies,” said Sergeant Sefara.
She added that another challenge taking place in Glenhavie is that of murders and attempted murders which are committed mostly when victims are going to or coming back from liquor outlets and walking along open veld.
While this remains a thorn in the side of the police, community members were also able to air their frustrations with the station commander during the engagement session and urged her to engage with the Rand West City Local Municipality (RWCLM), to cut the long grass and trees in the veld, as this has become a breeding ground for criminals.
Another issue that residents tabled is that of streetlights that are not working, thus contributing to the lack of safety elements in the area.
