Nyanga police are pulling out all the stops to curb spiralling crime in Crossroads.
According to reports, the area has seen a surge in criminal activities recently, with people attacked at will.
A resident, Mninawa Nyakavula, appealed for a satellite police station, saying Nyanga is too far.
“People are getting robbed and killed every day. We need police visibility,” said Nyakavula.
In an effort to address the situation, police held an Imbizo Crime Prevention at New Eisleben High School on Friday 20 May. The gathering was attended by different community stakeholders including the police.
A similar imbizo is planned for Boystown on Monday 30 May.
Station commander Brig Vuyisile Ncata said their aim is to interact with the community and share ideas on ways to curb crime.
Part of the meeting allowed residents an opportunity to raise their unhappiness about the police. “We encouraged the community to join neighbourhood watch and other community stakeholders so that they can be active. I also shared the contacts of relevant officers that they can contact or report to when there is a problem,” said Ncata.
He stated that some of the problems the community complained about included police visibility, the high crime rate and bad treatment from the police.
Ncata confirmed the escalating crime in Crossroads but refused to provide the statistics.
Nyanga Community Policing Forum (CPF) secretary Dumisani Qwebe appealed to the community to work closely with the police.
He stated that police alone cannot fight crime. “We want to ensure that there is a good relationship between the community, CPF and police. And as CPF we will ensure that the police are trusted by the community by keeping them accountable,” said Qwebe.
He said they are delighted to see eagerness from the community to work with the police in the fight against crime. “The fact that the community came forward shows that they are tired of crime in their areas. And all community stakeholders are saying in one voice that enough is enough,” said Qwebe.