Street patrol plan to take on gangs
AFTER they had enough of the alarming crime wave perpetrated by rampant gangs in Moletjie, Seshego and surrounding areas, concerned community members took it upon themselves to curb the scourge of crime.
SESHEGO – AFTER they had enough of the alarming crime wave perpetrated by rampant gangs in Moletjie, Seshego and surrounding areas, concerned community members took it upon themselves to curb the scourge of crime.
The residents started to patrol the streets.
The anti-crime mission kicked-off at the beginning of the festive season.
Police in Seshego confirmed that crime had spiralled out of control in Blood River, Makgofe, Mmotong, Spoko Park and Biko Park.
Spokesperson for the Seshego police, WO Mothemane Malefo, said they acknowledged the initiative taken by the community to help police fight crime.
“We started with workshops where we showed the patrollers some crime prevention measures before we gave them the go ahead to patrol the streets.
“The police and community patrols complement each other and we are making significant strides in combating crime in the area,” Malefo said.
On Friday, Malefo confirmed that, since the collaboration with community patrols started, police received no reports of crimes from the previously troubled villages.
One of the patrol volunteers, who opted to speak to Express anonymously for fear of victimisation, said the residents have decided to reclaim their streets from criminals.
“We saw the streets were being run by young boys who grew up right in front of our eyes and who are now running amok.
“They terrorise the neighbourhood with all sorts of criminal activities.
“That is why we made the decision to form these patrol groups in a bid to fight crime in our neighbourhood.”
Other residents explained to Express that they lived in fear of gangsters from the notorious MaZulu, Matekie, MaWrong Turn, Ma24, Masokolara, Ma50Cents and Westside gangs.
They explained that, although these gang members were usually underage boys, they feared them, because they claim the boys were hooligans who were capable of murder, rape, burglaries, muggings, armed robbery and even stabbings.
Their assortment of lethal weapons reportedly included firearms, knives, machetes, knobkieries, pangas, arrows, screwdrivers and sjamboks.
Malefo said that, even though some of these alleged perpetrators were arrested in the past, they were eventually released because they were minors.
“After their release, they continue with their reign of terror, making the justice system look like a sham,” Malefo said.
