Greetings to everyone out there. I trust that everyone is beginning to see the visible policing that is happening on our streets. If not, let me know where you live and I shall let the SAPS know! Visible policing should begin to bring down the number of cases of crime that occur in our area. It is not foolproof but it can only help as a criminal will think twice about committing a crime when there are SAPS members all around. It also assists with reaction time on complaints and a SAPS vehicle should be on the scene within 15 minutes maximum.
I would like to make you aware of some vehicles that were involved in crimes in our area over the last week. Please be on the lookout for them. They will have two or more occupants inside. Please also remember that the license plates may have changed. Phone the SAPS if you spot one of the following vehicles acting suspiciously in our area.
Lookouts:
White Ford Territory – VRZ 550 GP
White Ford Lazer – unknown plates
Grey VW Jetta – KZC 075 GP
Crime report – 18 – 24 October 2010
Trio crimes
There were two trio crimes for the week:
2 Car Jacking’s – one in Orange Grove (6th Str) and another in Highlands North (Cnr Athol & Joseph Str).
Other crimes
Motor vehicle related:
Thefts out of motor vehicles – 5 occurrences in Orchards, Orange Grove (9th Ave, 10th Str) Houghton & Birnam.
Theft of MV - 3 occurrences in Norwood, Melrose & Birdhaven.
Theft of a motor bike – occurred in Orange Grove in 1st Str.
Smash and grabs at intersections with the highway (M1) are still prevalent. Please be aware when exiting the highway and then in the immediate vicinity.
House break-ins - 9 occurrences – Victoria (Burford), Fellside (Davidson & 4th Str), Melrose (Athol Oaklands), Sydenham (Dunottar), Orange Grove (9th & 12th Str), Melrose North & Orchards (Oaklands Rd).
Burglary Businesses – 2 occurrences – Melrose Arch & in Rouxville (Louis Botha).
Other crimes:
There was an increase in Armed robberies – 4 this last week.
Often these involve inside information being passed on or are purely opportunistic. In two cases the complainants (victims) had large amounts of cash on their persons. Please be careful when drawing and carrying around larges amounts of cash. You are a target for gangs with sophisticated means of garnering this information.
Be aware when moving around, especially on foot, muggings are a fact of life in a big city no matter where you live.
There was a case of culpable homicide opened after a man was run over in Glenhove Rd, Houghton Estate, on the 20 October 2010. He was declared dead at the scene and appears to have been employed in the area. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.
Successes:
There were a number of arrests this weekend by the different departments within the Norwood SAPS. The tracing unit were able to catch two criminals that were involved in crimes as far back as 1999 & 2000. The cases were for House break-ins and fraud.
We also had 33 Reservists on duty this weekend. A big thank you must go to them for this invaluable contribution that they make to contributing to the safety of our area. The more we can support our Reservists for giving of their time for our security the safer our suburbs will become.
General:
I was going through the case register this week and it struck me how many persons take a number of days to report a crime that has occurred. Be it a break of two days to up to a month. In one instance a vehicle was stolen and the complainant waited two days to report it stolen to the SAPS. Two more days then was necessary and thus giving the criminals a chance to get out of town with the vehicle.
If you do not report a crime it did not happen. The SAPS cannot allocate resources to an issue that they did not know even occurred. Reporting it late is almost as bad as you are giving the criminal a chance to get away with their deed. Swift action can result in quick results.
Report the crime, no matter how insignificant it may appear to you. Your report may assist in stopping the same crime occurring to your neighbour or a worse crime befalling a fellow community member. Think & think twice about how your conduct affects everyone in your community. Together we can beat crime, but it will require all of us to get involved.
Yours,
Duncan
Norwood Community Police Forum
078 014 2387
www.ncpf.co.za
Fax – 086 638 4230
Twitter – @NorwoodCPF
Facebook – Norwood Community Police Forum
