Crime prevention is a cooperative endeavour with shared results.
Honeydew Police, in conjunction with their Community Policing Forum (CPF), Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) and private security companies held a multi-agency anti-crime operation on May 19. Due to an uptick in criminal activity within the Strubens Valley and Little Falls area, it was deemed a necessity to send a warning to lawbreakers and a message of assurance to residents.
A total of 21 uniformed officers added the authority to the eight CPF members and 22 private security personnel from EC Security, Fidelity ADT and BCI Security, respectively. With a complement of 32 vehicles, roadblocks were set up at the only two entry points to the suburbs – Fredenharry Road and Cascades Road – and separate teams searched known crime hotspots in the various greenbelts in the area.
At the high-visibility checkpoints, members searched a total of 154 vehicles and 205 individuals which yielded R11 500 in fines. In the greenbelts, authorities searched 33 persons and eight vehicles while addressing the issue of vagrants living in the fields. No arrests or serious crimes were recorded but the positive response from residents has left neighbouring suburbs clamouring to be included.
“Since the operation I have been getting calls from other neighbourhood watches asking how they can do the same. We are very pleased that all the stakeholders came together to make it a success. Crime is a never-ending battle so we hope to roll it out across the rest of the sector to ensure we give residents a safer community,” said Honeydew CPF Sector 3 chairperson, Anthony Beer.
“I think these types of operations are extremely important. They don’t have to be all-day operations but can be done at random hours to stop and search, to show high visibility in an area, and assist with crime awareness,” said Honeydew CPF’s Jon Rosenberg. On collaboration with entities, Jon added, “In the Honeydew precinct we are very fortunate that the entities work very well together. I refer specifically to police, JMPD, fire department, EMS and security companies. We are very fortunate that as a CPF we have such teamwork happening. When there is an issue, the guys are very quick to respond.”
Honeydew Police spokesperson, Captain Balan Muthan, gave an overview of successes across the precinct, stating “A total of 35 suspects were arrested between 06:00 on Monday May 16 and 06:00 on Friday May 20. These suspects were arrested for various crimes in the Honeydew precinct and will appear in court soon.”
