Disgruntled residents of Newlands East are fed up with the increasing crime rate and claim that police are not doing enough to protect them against brazen criminals.
Newdawn Park residents called a meeting with Newlands East SAPS management on Saturday, 8 May, to discuss their concerns and to find solutions to the escalating crime rate. In the meeting, residents raised the issue about telephone lines at Newlands East SAPS, which they claimed are non-operational. “I had intruders in my yard trying to steal a car at night. My life was in danger. I called the police station 10 times and I could not get through. I called a local security company which came to my home and the security officers went to the police station to get them to come to my house. This is unacceptable. “How do you run a police station without a landline. Police are doing a disservice to the community by not being available. One of the criminals dropped a cellphone in my yard, I took it to the police station and since then I have not been given any updates regarding the case,” said a 73-year-old resident, who did not want to be mentioned.
Mr Pierce, a Newdawn Park resident, added that crime has worsened because of lack of action by the police. “We are ratepayers but police treat us as second-rate citizens. They arrest criminals and release them. The current situation is dire, sooner or later, someone will lose a life to crime if urgent intervention is not taken. How are we suppose to feel safe in our homes when we know that police cannot get to us on time. Must people die in the hands of the criminals before we are taken seriously?” Ward 11 councillor, Joyce Johnson, said one of the contributing factors to the escalating crime rate in Newlands East is the long grass and dense bush where criminals hide. “Security companies need to come on board and assist SAPS where they can. Some areas, the streetlights are not working and this invites criminals to come in the area. We need neighborhood watches to also come on board to assist in fighting crime,” she said.
Chairperson of the Newlands East Watch Community Safety (NEWCS), Allan Peterson said, “Newlands East SAPS is limited with resources, we need the community to come together and put pressure for our police station to get more manpower to assist with fighting crime in our area. We are feeling neglected in Newlands East. We encourage residents to open a case when they feel they have been a victim of crime. The more cases that are reported, the higher the statistics will be in terms of crime rate in our community, this might help in getting more manpower for the police station. There is lack of police visibility, which is our core problem. Police need to have random searches and regular patrols in all areas, to keep criminals away. Criminals are starting to feel free in our community because police are not visible.”
Newlands East SAPS sector commander, Warrant Officer Lutchmiparsad, who was at the meeting called by the residents, assured residents that regular patrols will be done around Newdawn Park and other areas. “We will invite local security companies to also come on board to assist in the fight against crime. On Saturday, we had a crime awareness campaign in Newlands West with security companies and more campaigns will be held throughout the Newlands area,” said Warrent Officer Lutchmiparsad. Lutchmiparsad said residents can call 031-574-7111 and has assured them that the telephone line is operational, and they will get the help they require.
