Although he has only been in office for 54 days as Polokwane Police Station Commander, Lucas Mogwaneng is hard at work to bring about drastic changes to ensure a safer city for residents and business owners.
Daily operations during the day and night have already been established and positive results were achieved resulting in a decrease in reported criminal activity in residential areas as well as the Central Business District (CBD).
“There are a number of crimes which are still too high to my liking. Especially theft from motor vehicles and common robberies in the CBD are still of concern and it has to drop. We have already beefed up the Community Safety Forum (CPF) and roped in car washers to assist in the combat against crime. There is also a Police member in every sector every hour and every minute of the day,” Mogwaneng said.
Speaking on CPF he acknowledged their efforts to reduce criminal activities. “If I think back I cannot imagine a working environment without the CPF. Their assistance and help in residential and business areas have only provided positive feedback. Crime has decreased because of the CPF’s visibility in all sectors and criminals are given little opportunity to break into houses or businesses,” he said.
On resources Mogwaneng said the local Police have enough resources to ensure a safe environment. “Sometimes the resources are stretched to the limit but we can still do our job properly.”
His goal is to see Polokwane as a safer place within 90 days. “I want people to say that Polokwane is the safest city in the country and that they would not hesitate to buy property or invest in businesses locally. We, however, still encourage people to engage with the Police on plans or strategies on how to stabilise crime in the area.”
Safety on farms and small holdings are also a concern for Mogwaneng. “Our farms and small holdings are still quiet. It, however, remains a concern because incidents on the outskirts of the city or farms are normally brutal. The biggest reasons for attacks on farms are usually because owners are alone or elderly and very vulnerable. As soon as crime prevention is up to standard in the CBD we will embark on a safety strategy for farms and smallholdings but nevertheless we remain visible in and around the farming areas. We will also reach out to other surrounding stations to help where possible,” he said.
Mogwaneng has been in the Police service for 31 years of which 19 served as station commander at Jane Furse, Nebo, Mokopane and Giyani.
“I’ve always had a passion for helping people in need. It is not always an easy job but my goal was achieved when a victim walks out satisfied with our service,” he said.
Story: RC Myburgh
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Photo: Polokwane Police Station Commander Lucas Mogwaneng
