Archive for July, 2010

Once again, thank you to all who contributed to Westville’s CrimeZero Magazine. Now with our third edition, which we have increased to 16 pages, we are hoping that soon more people will become familiar with the magazine. Ideally it will serve to create a positive base from which to work as we develop our vision with community and police to combat crime in the area.

Make time to get to the meetings the third Tuesday of every month from 6pm to 7:30pm and get to know your police who serve your area. We have some excellent speakers coming up for the next meetings. No matter how big or small your contribution, just being there makes all the difference. We have already noted a decline in housebreaking, largely due to the tip-offs from alert residents. The police have cracked the known syndicates who were detained and appeared in court.

Last but not least, I have been pleasantly surprised by the interest shown and the high calibre of people we have in our area who have caught the vision to come forward and make this a success. I would equally like to encourage readers to use the website and write to us with any questions or helpful suggestions they may have. Well done to all concerned!

By the time this edition is printed all the excitement of the World Cup will be behind us but we trust as a country that we have learned a huge amount by hosting this International event, that can be used to advantage for our future growth.

SA rolls out the Abuntu!

I went on a rant the other day regarding the cost of the 2010 World Cup versus all the critical needs South Africa is facing and whether or not the most vulnerable of this country would gain anything from having the World Cup hosted in their country. At that time, I also had some very positive things to say about our hosts for the 2010 World Cup and I wanted to share that side of the coin as well, because it is equally important.

To say that I have been blown away at the hospitality South Africa has shown the rest of the world would be an understatement. Read the rest of this entry »

Did you know Ants can play havoc with your security?

As tiny as they are, ants can be a major problem not only in the home and garden, but also with your security equipment. It will pay you to take a few minutes from time to time to check things like your automatic gate motor, intercom system, and panic buttons and even outside light fittings. Read the rest of this entry »

Community & police at Banana City

Banana City Is an Informal settlement within the grounds of the Westville University. Over the last few years the SAPS and the community of Westville have assisted the inhabitants of Banana City with food, clothing and necessities due to the fact that over the 15+ years of existence, VERY little crime has originated from the settlement. As with any group of people living in any sector of the public, you will get the odd bad apple. However, the Induna has been more than forthcoming with the SAPS to help root out these unwanted elements. Read the rest of this entry »

Julian Carter

As I write this article the opening games of the Soccer World Cup have been played. The hype over this event and the general preparations, by many thousands of people from all around the world, have nearly reached finality. By the time you read this it may be all over and I believe that if we are sensible we will begin sitting back and looking at a major review of what we did right and what we possibly did wrong.

Were we perhaps intent on just enjoying the games on TV and regularly complaining about the things that, in our rather selective opinion, went wrong? Read the rest of this entry »

We investigate what underpins this unique relationship between the South African Police Service (the Service) and local community bodies.

At the monthly Hillcrest Community Policing Forum (CPF) meetings, CPF Chairperson, Monica Bruun, takes crime prevention very seriously. Bruun believes that working with the police can make a difference in her community. But she is adamant that the community and the SAPS need to work together to achieve their objectives.

“I give the police a hard time when they deserve it and I give them support when they need it,” she says. “Our meetings are not well attended – people are not interested. They think crime is not their concern. But the police need our support because it is the only legal body that has the right to arrest a criminal, charge him and take him to court.” Read the rest of this entry »

Criminal are targetiong jewellery

There has been a marked increase of late in cases where housebreakers are specifically targeting jewellery.

There could be a few reasons for this. These items are easy to conceal, relatively easy disposing of to willing buyers or pawnshops, and further, the cash returns to the thief are relatively good for such small items.

These factors can make things a bit difficult for us, who want to hang on to granny’s antique bracelet and our other valuables. Why? Because when I asked detectives where in most cases the items were taken from, the answers were, from bedside tables, dressing tables and unlocked drawers. Pretty much, they are the shiny gold things the criminal sees first.

Read the rest of this entry »

Drinking to intoxication?

Hello, fancy meeting you here! It looks like the whole of Westville is out for breakfast. Oh, I see, good cure for a hangover after last night’s celebrations! Great game, wasn’t it? By the way, where are your kids? Didn’t come home? I guess they were celebrating, too. I collected mine just before midnight. They weren’t impressed! However, I couldn’t sleep if they were out all night, and when I collect them they know they’d better be sober! Yes, it is a nuisance, but I reckon it’s a small sacrifice for their security and my peace of mind. Read the rest of this entry »

What is the "419" scam?

The term ‘419 scams’ has its origin in Nigeria, as the government of that country identified a need to put in place legislation prohibiting this practice, which is explained more in detail below. At the time these scams were mostly initiated in Nigeria but it has since become a worldwide criminal activity. The growth in the use of the Internet has led to a substantial increase in the number of emails offering various business opportunities aimed at encouraging the recipient to make large profits from a proposed scheme. Read the rest of this entry »

Hard work and dedication…….once again well done to our police for going beyond the call of duty!

Brett Bowman (director of Spur Pavilion) handing over vouchers

The May Bust of the Month goes to two members, Constables Goga and Shozi. Only being in Westville SAPS for a short time, this duo have gone to many lengths to pursue their passion of catching criminals. In previous months they have displayed excellent work in the form of arrests and recoveries but in May they excelled.

Over the month, the two (usually working together as a team) made 11 “A” class arrests (serious crimes) for offences ranging from housebreaking to house robbery. Further, the two recovered 3 vehicles in the process of the arrests. All three cars were linked to cases where they had been either stolen or hijacked from their rightful owners.

One has to take a further element into consideration. One criminal does not commit one crime then hang up his hat. With the arrested persons in custody and their fingerprints taken, I am sure we can, by linking the suspects, close many more cases both in Westville and elsewhere. These are the men we thank for making the prisons overcrowded.