‘You have the right to request more police patrols in your areas’ – Constable Fezeka Khobo
Stay in the know this festive season.
The silly season is upon us and South Africans are gearing up for December which is traditionally when yearly bonuses and Christmas gifts are purchased for family and friends. While law-abiding citizens are spending their hard-earned cash, criminals are also prowling the streets looking for an easy score.
Just across the freeway, adjacent to Extension Three lies the affluent Eldorado Estates, or ‘Bushkoppies’, as the area is known, whose residents have been hard-hit by a spate of burglaries recently. Sterre Road residents were left fuming after a home in the street was burgled last week.
The homeowners woke up to find their car, three plasma screen television sets and expensive film equipment, missing. A Bushkoppies resident who lives in the street, Mpho Ntlaleng, said that burglaries are a trend in the area and asserted that these are committed by the same group of men who prowl the streets after dark.
Ntlaleng said, “Four men broke into my house and stole everything my family and I worked so hard for. When I spoke to my neighbours after the incident, we realised that the men who broke into my house were the same men who have broken into a number of houses in my street.”
According to an infuriated Ntlaleng, the four have been reported to police on numerous occasions have recently been released on bail.
She continued, “That is why they decided to ransack my place. This is not fair, we cannot have the same people targeting our homes, something needs to be done about this,” she said.
Cynthia Harris, who also lives in the area, said that with the festive season approaching, she feared that the burglary will only get worse.
“We are living in a quiet area so I think that’s why these criminals target us, we cannot continue to live in fear,” she said.
Constable Fezeka Khobo, the communications officer at the Eldorado Park Police Station said that residents have the right to request that patrol vans are deployed to the area.
She said, “Residents are encouraged to make sure that all windows, doors and gates are locked when they leave the house and when they go to bed. Another safety tip is to leave someone at home at all times, especially during the festive season, residents are advised to install alarm systems as well.”
Constable Khobo also advised the community to make use of the patrol vans and communicate with their sector manager.
“It is always handy to know who your sector manager is so you can call him or her at any time. The police station is open 24/7 to assist, I advise everyone to visit the police station to find out what the station has to offer. Know who your sector manager is and get the number of the patrol vans in your area,” said Khobo.
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