Welties – a stubborn crime-ridden area, said authority
Authorities raise concerns about crime in Weltevreden Park and surrounding neighbourhoods.
Local law enforcement agencies have raised serious concerns about the spike in brazen attacks on households in the Weltevreden Park area.
Police and security personnel who attended a Community Policing Forum (CPF) meeting on 29 June indicated that Welties remains a problematic area compared to other areas in the Sector 2 policing precinct.
Sector 2 covers areas such as Weltevreden Park, Randpark Ridge, Welridge, Panorama, Allen’s Nek and Constantia Kloof.
Sergeant Nicholas Makhura, the Honeydew Police Station representative, revealed that Weltevreden Park is dubbed a ‘stubborn hotspot’ which authorities are aware of.
“Weltevreden Park’s [crime problems] are not new to anyone. The station commander and even the cluster knows about this area,” he said.
A representative from Beagle Watch Security, Lizo Songelwa, backed Makhura by saying that there is a crisis, specifically with regard to driveway-related crimes and house robberies. Songelwa added that the perpetrators are very quick, and often their clients only make use of the panic button after the suspects have fled the scene, which is too late.
Due to the lack of resources at the police station, the chairman of Sector 2 CPF, John Baisely said, “We will have to use the resources we have. Between us [residents] we are going to have to make a difference [by increasing security].”
Also Read: Weltevreden Park – high crime stats
Baisely also stressed the issue of dog poisoning which started in Allen’s Nek and then spread to Randpark Ridge.
Two dogs died a painful death on 26 June after being poisoned with a toxic substance called Two-step during an attempted house robbery.
“It’s such as a sad state of affairs. If your property border on Beyers Naudé Drive, please be alert. [Also] something is really going on in the Christiaan de Wet and Jim Fouché roads [neighbourhood],” Baisely warned.
Jon Rosenberg, spokesman for the CPF, said a lot of these robberies could be prevented if residents would avoid leaving their cars outside their properties and their gates wide open.
Details: Honeydew Police Station on 011 801 8400.
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