Pretoria West business urged to stand together to fight crime

Pretoria West businesses are urged to join the Pretoria West Business Forum and to address crime in the area.

This call was made during a formal meeting between Pretoria West police and the forum on September 25.

Members of the Pretoria West SAPS Sector Command and Social Crime Prevention were in attendance.

The aim of the meeting with the forum executive committee was to strengthen the relationship between businesses and police to address crime in the area.

Gauteng Crime Prevention Wardens along with Sector One CPF members and the chairperson of the mother body within Pretoria West, Joseph Nkhumise, were present along with other business people.

Police spokesperson Constable Sibongile Vuma said: “The purpose of the meeting was to revive the forum and initiate the way forward to actively promote it and get all business people around to form part of the forum by spreading the word out there.”

All agreed to take part in going to the ground and reviving and recruiting members and that the current structure is open to re-election should new members join.

“SAPS would like to spread the word to all business people around Pretoria West to feel free to enquire about forming part of the forum around the precinct and find more information on assisting with ideas for resolving crime around involving businesses,” Vuma said.

Past forum chairperson Zahid Afzal Jhamat says they intend to head out this month door-to-door and shop-to-shop and recruit businesses to participate in the next scheduled meeting on October 10 when an election will take place.

“We want to attract all the businesses that are [in] Pretoria West, bring them on one page. We want police to give back more to the community, they must listen to our concerns, we need to see more visibility and whatever they need from us as well, but we need their support as well. People in Pretoria West mostly don’t trust the police, so we are rebuilding that relationship.”

Jhamat says the forum intends to educate businesses on issues such as trading, compliance regulations and crime reporting, as well as offer workshops.

He says most businesses in Pretoria West are not aware of the legal requirements they need to operate, leaving them at risk during police operations.

“There is a huge gap between police and community and that’s where we want to build a bridge. Crime is a big issue, there are regular business robberies, and also drug dealers as well as the nyaopes, so safety and security is a main concern.”

Jhamat insists that due to the West being a hive of business activity, a strong forum will help foster prosperity in the area.

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