Business owners and private security company, GP Group, have established a new business forum in an effort to curb crime in the industrial area.
The need to establish the forum came to light as incidents of burglary and business break-ins were escalating and worrying to the business owners. Managing director of GP Group, Francois de Klerk explained that the forum was meant to curb the escalating scourge of crime.
He said that they would start with a WhatsApp group so that business owners could communicate and work together to fight crime in the area.
The meeting was held at Siyaya Skills Institute on the morning of 20 May with various business owners in Laser Park.
According to a GP Group survey, on a normal day, an average of 60 vehicles are parked on the streets, about five gates are left open and unattended and about seven vagrants are seen loitering around the streets.
These factors were contributing to incidents such as theft out of motor vehicles and burglaries. “We need to let business owners know about these statistics. It is easier to reduce crime when we are all aware of what is happening in the area,” he said.
De Klerk concluded that towards the end of March about 25 laptops were recovered from thieves. “They stole 28 laptops from the area however, they managed to only get away with three laptops as we chased them down,” he concluded.
Roxy Wood from RWW Engineering Company only moved into Laser Park in January this year. She welcomed the forum and indicated that it would help enormously to eradicate the crime.
“Ever since we moved here, we have had one incident and recently a suspicious vehicle was spotted but the reaction from the GP Group was quite successful,”she said.
Details: GP Group, 011 794 3323.
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