Dave Harris (CPF chair), next to Col Junaid Alcock at the community imbizo.
The Table View station commander, Col Junaid Alcock, presented the latest crime statistics and trends at a community imbizo held at Church on the Rise on Thursday 7 September.
Alcock invited the community to engage in updates on crime in the precinct. The community was given an opportunity to raise concerns regarding policing and crime.
He presented a crime overview, marking April as a problematic month and said assaults and aggravated robbery were concerns.
“Commercial crime, (committed over the) internet especially during May and June, has shown an increase. August has shown a decrease in crime, due to partnerships with neighbourhood watches and the Community in Blue programme,” he said.
In July a breakthrough was in business robberies in the Parklands area, when a perpetrator was arrested for business robbery. Afterwards a general decrease in this crime was noted, he said.
Another breakthrough happened with house robberies which were becoming a trend.
“All these houses were targeted during the day. Information was followed up in Wesbank, Mfuleni, where a suspect was arrested, and other house robberies could be linked to this suspect.”
He said Sector 1, which includes areas along the coast, has been targeted for business robberies. In one instance, video footage revealed one suspect coming back three times.
Video footage is often used to identify suspects, he said.
The recent taxi strike had a huge impact on crime, he said.
Malicious damage to property increased due to this. Vehicles were stoned with large bricks and robberies also increased at that time. “Necessary force was used to push people back and roads had to be closed. Our strong partnerships are truly appreciated during these times.”
The police are also currently investigating two murders for the month. One is domestic related.
“We are there to commit ourselves to the improvement of Table View,” he said.
Projects
During the meeting, Alcock also emphasized the community projects the Table View Police Station participated in.
In Zwe zwe and Site 5 neighbourhood watches were established.
The station visited 15 crèches in the informal sector on Madiba Day and parcels with sweets and food were handed out.
There were other events as well.
“Old age homes in Parklands were visited a week ago, and adult diapers were delivered to the needy elderly. Schools were approached and the Junior Commissioner project was launched.”
The station, CPF and volunteers also cleaned up the station grounds on 6 September.