Honeydew crime stats outdated, says police
HILLFOX — We let you give us your thoughts after the latest crime statistics revealed the West Rand has the highest crime in Gauteng
Honeydew Police reassured residents that their suburb is not the hotbed of crime that national news outlets have attempted to portray this week.
Honeydew SAPS spokesperson, Warrant Officer Karen Jacobs, said the sudden uproar regarding statistics which portray Honeydew as Gauteng’s most crime ridden area, is misleading because the information used, is outdated.
Jacobs explained that the statistics were based on crime reported throughout the whole cluster which also includes Roodepoort, Douglasdale, Diepsloot, Zandspruit, Cosmo City, Randburg and Florida police stations, not just Honeydew.
“Those statistics were released in September and pertain to 2013, which was a tough year for us,” said Jacobs. “The situation has been brought under control this year and our cluster commander, Lieutenant General Oswald Reddy, has already put a progressive action plan in place for 2015.”
Honeydew Community Policing Forum (CPF) representative Neville Burnette also shared his thoughts on these statistics. “Regarding Honeydew SAPS cluster, crime has lessened in the residential areas this year. It’s the informal settlements like Diepsloot, Cosmo City and Zandspruit which remain a big concern.”
Burnette said City Council, not the police, has to put an end to vagrancy, which directly influences crime in residential areas.
“Criminals use vagrants as informants. These vagrants make a quick R100 by telling criminals which houses are easy targets and they will sit in open veld areas and watch the comings and goings of residents all day long.”
Northside residents feel differently about crime in the area. This is what they had to say:
