WESTVILLE
WESTVILLE residents have had enough of crime and have bandied together to root out the scourge from the plush suburb.
The North Rhodes Neighbourhood Patrols were started by concerned residents of central Westville, some of whom have been victims of crime, and they are already seeing the benefits of their unstinting work.
The group comprises 137 members, about 100 of whom patrol centrally located neighbourhoods regularly.
One of the patrollers is 44-year-old Wayne le Roux.
“It’s difficult to say which are the ‘hot spot’ areas in Westville because all of Westville is ‘hot’. We have had incidents where we were even shot at with an AK-47,” said Le Roux, who added that with the help of his dashboard camera, he was able to count that he was shot at 15 times.
“One of the biggest problems is that some residents are negligent. They leave their doors and windows open and that almost invites crime. A lot of other people have implemented many security measures, but that does not mean the crime will stop.”
He said becoming a patroller was a community service and they used all means within their capabilities to patrol.
Le Roux said: “Some of us are armed, but with our own guns. We go out with our personal bulletproof vests and use our own cars. All the damages, and fuel costs, has to be paid by ourselves. We even spend less time with our families to ensure our community is safe.”
He said most of the robberies took place during the day, while homeowners were at work. Le Roux added that more residents should take control of their own streets.
“Our community is committed to rooting out crime. There’s no issues with people wanting to patrol. They know when they have to.”
Leanne Bell, 48, who has been a victim of crime, said she felt better knowing patrols took place every night.
“Every little bit helps. Crime in Westville is terrible. Three weeks ago, in the early hours of Thursday morning, six armed men came into my house, wearing balaclavas. They were so professional. They knew what they were doing. They stole my Toyota Fortuner, a cellphone and jewellery,” she said.
“There’s such terrible anxiety when the sun goes down. It’s just so sad because we live on the same street where the police station is.”
Jamiel Shaik, 50, of central Westville, believes the neighbourhood patrols have been fruitful.
“The combined effort of these members of the community in effectively patrolling areas has yielded positive results with regard to brazen criminals attempting to get access on to residents’ properties.”