Businesses and police discuss crime in Springs
Interested parties unite to curb crime in Springs.
The Eastern Gauteng Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EGCCI) and other businesses in Springs held a meeting with members of the police last Wednesday at the Springs Police Station.
Mike du Toit, president of the EGCCI and chairman of the Springs CPF, says the meeting was aimed at developing and building trust between communities.
“If there is no trust, we won’t succeed in fighting crime,” he says.
Criminal activities and the prevention thereof was heavily discussed in the meeting.
The first topic and one of the biggest concerns is the reportage of crime.
Capt Terry Terblanche, crime analyst for the Springs police took the floor and stressed how important it is for residents to report every crime, no matter how minor it may seem.
He says there is a certain amount of unreported crime that could be vital to police successes.
Also read: Husband and wife hijacked in front of their Springs home
“If people do not report, the police cannot actively plan and act accordingly.”
Representatives of security companies who get called out by their clients say they will also encourage their clients to report crimes.
Terblanche says they want to identify hot-spots and react to those.
Barries Barnard, of Daggafontein Ext 2 CPF and HI5Kids Recovery, also attended the meeting and says if suspects open a gate and an alarm goes off and the suspects run away, it must still be reported as an attempted break-in as this will show the police suspect activities are ongoing in that area.
“People do not report dog poisonings, but this is preemptive planning and shows that there is activity and possibly further planning of breaking-in,” says Barnard.
They stressed the issue of the importance of residents reporting criminal activities in their areas.
Terblanche says theft of motor vehicles is a great concern to the police, especially in Springs CBD.
“The vehicles were mostly older models that tended to get stolen, but lately, we are looking at vehicles such as Hyundai H100 bakkies and Toyota Yaris.
“The Toyota Yaris is becoming a very popular vehicle to be stolen,” he says.
Barnard adds that people should be extra careful of car-jamming.
Also read: Man scares off armed hijackers after they pointed a firearm at his four-month-old baby
Terblanche stressed the issue of the increase of smash-and-grabs occurring in CBD.
“Handbags, cellphones, wallets, laptops and any number of valuables are targeted and we urge the public not to leave valuables out in the open.”
Police members encourage the community to report any suspicious people lingering around traffic lights to the police immediately.
Terblanche says the police’s statistics have improved and they are constantly working on new projects and identifying problem areas.
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