You are not safe in your home, your car or your truck
Eight months ago headlines screamed out ‘eMalahleni is not safe’. The headline this time is bolder. It screams out ‘eMalahleni has the highest number of burglaries at residential premises’. The precinct is the highest in the country with 1 616 reported cases. Despite a two day strategic session in March to devise plans to build …
Eight months ago headlines screamed out ‘eMalahleni is not safe’. The headline this time is bolder. It screams out ‘eMalahleni has the highest number of burglaries at residential premises’.
The precinct is the highest in the country with 1 616 reported cases.
Despite a two day strategic session in March to devise plans to build safer communities in Mpumalanga, the figures are still shocking.
eMalahleni is unsafe to live in.
This statement is validated by the country’s crime statistics for April 2016 to March 2017. These figures were released in October.
According to the South African Police Service eMalahleni tops the chart for the most crimes committed in that period. They lead the pack with 20 254 reported cases with Nelspruit a yard behind with 13 764 reported cases.
They also added 11 more ‘gold medals’ in their trophy case.
This they earned with 352 reported cases of trio crimes, four cash-in-transits, 170 business robberies, 92 house robberies, 1 903 reported cases of theft, 12 cases of sexual offences, 369 reported cases of theft of a motor vehicle and motorcycles, 595 burglaries at businesses, 771 reported cases of armed robbery, 430 reported cases of common robbery and 689 common assault cases.
Behind the ‘gold medals’ in the trophy case there was enough space for silver medals for malicious damage to property 370 reported cases, 963 reported cases of theft from a motor vehicle, 635 reported cases of commercial crime and 19 reported cases of sexual assault.
Don’t think it is safe to travel on the roads in the city of coal as 268 cases were opened against drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Middelburg tops the chart with 299 cases opened.
Even when you are driving your own car or a truck the chances of you getting hijacked is very high. Lock your doors when you are driving in eMalahleni as 34 trucks and 90 vehicles were hijacked.
On Tuesday, November 14 an intervention team from the provincial offices visited Witbank SAPS again to discuss strategies in fighting crime and bringing down the numbers.
According to data from the United Nations the global average for police per 100 000 people is around 340 officers.
Witbank SAPS only has 284 police officers. The 2001 census data indicated that there are 108 673 people staying in eMalahleni. If you do the maths it shows that 383 people are policed by one police officer. The population numbers are taken from a census 18 years ago, one can only but imagine how the population grew in that period.
The thin blue line is also stretched out beyond comparison. The demographic boundaries of the area Witbank SAPS is responsible for increased with Masekhane Village and Klarinet being added to their precinct. The boundaries are increasing, but the workforce has not adapted.
Mr Piet Cromhout, owner of a local security company said they have noticed a sharp increase in residents enquiring about personal safety, the latest technology in alarms and what dogs to have in your yard.
“Due to the rising crime in our city, alarm technology supplies have boomed. Residents are becoming more aware of their own safety and that is the first line of defence,” Cromhout said.
He advises that residents get back to basics and get to know their neighbour, lock their doors, get an alarm system, buy a dog and get security lights.
By the time of going to press there was no indication as to what the provincial intervention team found or what they intend to do about the high crime statistics.
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