Criminals are too quick – cops
RIMINALS spend as little time as possible at crime scenes, making it hard for police to catch them.
That was the challenge highlighted by Westville’s top cop on Monday which had crimeweary residents in stitches.
Station commander Colonel Joachim Sikhosana told hundreds of residents his mandate was to reduce crime, but criminals were becoming craftier, often leaving crime scenes within minutes.
“If criminals don’t stay longer in the area, we are chasing them. The criminals don’t spend (enough) time at crime scenes for us to come and catch them,” he said. “When we come, they are gone… They are using high-powered vehicles – BMWs, Mercedes Benz and Audis.”
Sikhosana said the station did, however, have the capacity and a plan to combat crime.
But the chairman of the Westville community policing forum (CPF), Mike Myers, was critical of the station management.
He said when he became chairman of the CPF over three years ago, he was impressed with how well SAPS Westville was managed.
However, crime was now out of control and, in his opinion, the station management did not have the firepower to address it.
Myers said the morale among officers was “extremely low”, adding that there was a lack of manpower and resources.
The station’s numbers, he said, had declined over the past three years by 20 members and only three new recruits had been received. Westville used to have two sector commanders, but currently had none.
No firepower
The results, he said, were evident.
“Recently rifles were taken away. The reason: members don’t require such firepower… The members face criminals armed with automatic rifle power every day. These members fear for their lives. They don’t have the firepower to defend themselves,” said Myers.
The community meeting, hosted by Deputy Mayor Fawzia Peer, was called for after a spate of shootings and robberies in the leafy suburb.
In November, businessman Paresh Bodalia was shot dead outside his home in front of his twin daughters and on Saturday, ADT response officer Themba Mqwika was killed while responding to a call-out.
CPF members said the crime wave of a few years ago was not on the scale that it is today.
They want bush cleared, areas fenced off and more visible policing by SAPS and metro police.
But residents were told to start getting to know their neighbours, use social media to alert others of possible dangers, form anti-crime awareness groups on the streets, and become part of day and night street patrols.
Residents, who demanded a more aggressive and tenacious plan to weed out crime, were told by Peer she wanted to set up a satellite police station and install a CCTV camera.
But the idea of the municipality adding just a single TV camera was sniggered at.
“Now it’s time for tough and decisive action,” was Peer’s final message to criminals.
“We as a united front will not tolerate our neighbourhoods coming under siege. I am confident in the determination of the police force to rise to the challenge. Force will be met with force. We are taking back Westville.”