The Sector 2 Community Policing Forum held its first big meeting for 2015 at the Honeydew Police Station on 26 February.
The meeting was attended by chairpersons from Panorama, Welview and RiverWel resident associations and a Ward 89 officer from Metro Police. Sergeant Nicholas Makhura, Manager of Sector 2, was also present to inform the members of crime in his sector. CPF Sector 2 chairman Neville Burnett attended and Londoloza Protection Group and Community Support Services (CSS) also had representatives at the meeting.
Panorama Resident’s Association chairman and Honeydew Cluster public relations officer, Jon Rosenberg opened the meeting and the floor for discussions around crime and crime-related issues.
Sgt Makhura was first to the ball when he explained that the number one issue in the sector is vagrants. “They are problematic because they are involved in all of the housebreakings.”
Greg Pearce from CSS said, “The problem comes with booking in the vagrants at the station because they pay their fines and then they are on the streets again the next day.”
Makhura added and explained that the Sector 2 patrol vehicles received an additional third vehicle for February that lowered crime in the area. “Three patrol vehicles mean that we will be able to cover more ground in the sector and that forms part of visible policing, by creating a presence.”
He explained that January and February 2015 – compared to the same two months last year – showed a drop in crime and aggressive crimes in the sector.
RiverWel Resident’s Association chairman Kevin Thomson talked about issues in his RA and explained that the main issue is grass cutting in Excel Park. “The grass is being cut by the entity, but the problem is that the grass then lands up in the river and this blocks the floodgates of Excel Park River and during the rainy season this will cause a flood.”
A representative from Welridge RA said that a perpetrator, who had stolen 18 copper house numbers from properties in the area, was apprehended in the act with his screwdriver. Allen Baudry from Londoloza Protection Group said, “The perpetrator will have to pay to replace the copper house numbers and hopefully, this will teach him a lesson.”
Following the meeting, Rosenberg thanked everyone for attending and explained that the date for the next CPF Sector 2 meeting will be announced within the next couple of weeks.
