Meyerton police roasted at crime meeting
The meeting follows after an increase in crime in the area and a recent incident during which a family was tied up by armed robbers while their house was ransacked.
MEYERTON. – The local police were the subject of severe criticism during a community meeting held at Voorwaarts Primary School in Riversdale on Wednesday, 16 August to address the issue of rising crime in the Midvaal community.
The meeting follows after an increase in crime in the area and a recent incident during which a family was tied up by armed robbers while their house was ransacked.
According to Gerrit Viljoen, MMC for public safety and roads, there were at least 15 crime incidents in Riversdale in the last month, adding that most of these crimes happen between midnight and 04:00 in the morning.
During the meeting, Coert Erasmus, owner of a private security company that provides armed response services, confirmed a spike in crime in the area, especially house robberies, burglaries and the poisoning of dogs.
Viljoen appealed to members of the community to strengthen the hands of the local police by assisting them in fighting crime and getting involved in local Community Policing Forums.
According to Viljoen it is surprising how little crime stats there are because members of the public are simply not reporting crime in their areas anymore.
“We are not doing what we are supposed to do to support our police to support us,” Viljoen said, urging members of the community to assist in the fight against crime.
After giving members of the public a chance to air their views it soon became apparent how negative the community’s perceptions are towards the local police.
Gerhard Maree, a resident of Nelsonia, complained that there are never police vehicles available to serve the public while these vehicles are regularly misused by officers to give people lifts.
A woman who was the victim of a robbery last week complained that police made her husband climb into a bakkie to give a statement, because the officers complained that it was too cold.
She also accused officers of taking a bottle of wine from her house and says one of the officers shouted “f*ck you!” at her.
“Is that how they talk to a victim? A member of the public that just went through trauma?” she wanted to know.
Ketzo Makume, the Free State MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs, who owns a house in Midvaal and was the victim of a crime recently, said that while there are officers at the Meyerton police who do their work diligently, the service that people are getting from the police leaves a lot to be desired. Makume said it was important for the police to respond on time. He says after hearing of the burglary at his house he drove all the way from Bloemfontein to Meyerton, only to find that the police had not yet arrived at the crime scene.
Another community member complained of officers in uniform who work under the influence of alcohol. After hearing of all these complaints, the Vereeniging Station Commander, Brigadier Sibongile Ndaba, apologised to people who were wronged by the police.
She said that in some of these cases it would be proper for members of the public to lodge complaints against the police officers. “A lot of things have to be done to rectify the wrongs at Meyerton police station. I want to plead with you to not throw your hands away from us. Let us work together to rectify the wrongs,” Ndaba said to urged the community.
