The most dangerous neighbourhood
Roughly 10,42% of Gauteng residents live in and around the province's crime capital.
According to statistics the police recently presented to the Portfolio Committee on Community Safety, Honeydew and surrounds (Diepsloot, Douglasdale, Florida, Randburg and Roodepoort) were in the top four in 17 of 26 crime categories in the province.
The Honeydew policing cluster has witnessed a dramatic increase in violent crimes from March last year to March this year.
The cluster works to protect the lives of 1,2 million people living in this area with Florida and Roodepoort making up 260 000 of the residents affected.
According to the report presented, the Honeydew area was in the top four in 17 of 26 categories, meaning crime in the area has increased dramatically in all aspects including attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, residential and non-residential robbery and arson.
According to a Times Live report, Honeydew cluster commander Lieutenant General Oswald Reddy had admitted that policing the area is a great challenge, particularly when one notes the lack of crime intelligence.
He told Times Live that tactics such as identifying hot spots did not deal with the root causes of the crimes efficiently.
Better crime intelligence would mean that syndicates are identified and profiled and the supply chain is detected, which would enable the police to arrest criminals before they commit more crimes.
Reddy also linked the high murder rate in his cluster to illegal mining, citing that the highest number of murders for the period was recorded in Roodepoort.
The police are looking into mobilising the community to form street committees and block committees, or joining those that already exist in Roodepoort and Florida.
*The record has been made aware of the fact that the stats presented in the infographic were already released in September, however, it is the most recent statistics on the Honeydew policing cluster available.
Related articles:
• Photos: Two arrested after hijacking-turned-accident
• Suspected Helderkruin Hill syndicate member shot dead
• Swift action leads to arrest
