CPFs give feedback on crime

COMMUNITY Policing Forums (CPF) in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng have mixed feelings about the 2017/18 national crime statistics.

Phoenix CPF chairperson Umesh Singh said although the stats showed a decrease in murder and house robberies the reality could be different.

“Due to poor detective work people don’t want to report cases any more,” he said, adding that residents were afraid to report drug-related cases fearing nothing would be done by police.

He described hijackings in Phoenix as sporadic.

“Although carjackings have increased we have also a number of vehicles recovered due to tracking devices and also a number of false cases reported.” Carjacking was an opportunistic crime that could happen at any time, Singh said.

In Lenasia, CPF chairperson Meshack Tebe said the rise in crime was due to the illicit drug trade, taxi violence and the growing community.

“Alcohol and drugs are a contributing factor to the crime in Lenasia as house robberies are committed to feed people’s drug habits. With the informal settlements coming up, police don’t have enough resources to do proper patrols and monitoring.”

Tebe said the murder rate in Lenasia was high due to the ongoing taxi violence in Lenasia South, “with killings occurring on a regular basis”.

In Chatsworth, crimes like murder, house robbery and carjacking have been on the decline, while drug-related crimes have increased from 1 209 cases reported during 2016/17 to 1 555 in 2017/18.

CPF chairperson Jakes Singh attributed much of the decrease to community action.

“Over the years the community members have come out in their numbers.

“We noticed they realised the importance of neighbourhood watches and street patrols. If you look on our WhatsApp groups, each group is buzzing at any time of night with people either asking for assistance or with patrollers reporting that an area is safe.”

Singh added: “While we welcome the positive reporting and notice that serious crime is decreasing, our biggest worry is social crime.”