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Tuesday 25 September 2012
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Crime stats: mixed review TARRENLEE HABELGAARN
A SIGNIFICANT decline in murders could be cause for celebration, but a spike in drug-related crimes remains a concern in the Claremont police precinct. These crimes have jumped by 27 incidents to 206 in the period under review (April 2011 to March 2012). By comparison, 65 drug-related crimes were reported in the 2003/2004 financial year. The national crime statistics were released by Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa on Thursday. Numerous attempts by this newspaper to gain comment from Claremont police station commander Colonel Jayce Naidoo have not been successful at the time of going to press. Naidoo’s cellphone went straight to voicemail. The Claremont Cluster spokesperson, Captain Angie Latchman, says the cluster would release information at a later date. Mike Kabat, chairperson of the Claremont Community Policing Forum (CPF) says the figures show the police are doing their jobs. But, he adds, “if the drug trade is driven out of business all crime statistics will improve”. Kabat says police need to have an aggressive approach towards drug users. “We need to have a zero tolerance towards drugs. There is no such thing as recreational drugs,” Kabat adds. Theft of motor vehicles in Claremont has also increased over the last year, while theft out of motor vehicles took a dip. Kabat attributes theft of motor vehicles to a demand for car spares of older model cars which are frequently being stolen. While theft out of motor vehicles has decreased, statistics are still high; 825 incidents have been reported from April 2011 to March 2012. “The community needs to be less negligent and not leave things lying around in their cars in sight of criminals,” Kabat warns. Murders in Claremont have dropped from six to one in the last year.
POKER FACE: Provincial police commissioner LieutenantGeneral Arno Lamoer speaks at a press conference after national Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa released the crime statis tics at Parliament on Thursday. Photo: Edrea du Toit/Photo24 Meanwhile, Mowbray acting station commander Captain Delven Matroos says: “More operations and an increase in visible policing have raised the statistics of crimes heavily dependent on police detection like drug-related crimes.” In Mowbray, drug-related crimes have spiked from 95 to 146 in 2011/2012. Common robberies in the Mowbray police precinct have jumped from 34 to 40 which Matroos put down to negli-
gence. He says many students live in Mowbray as it is close to UCT and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. The increase in common robberies is largely due to students keeping their cellphones and iPods in plain view while walking on the streets, Matroos adds. He explains how they plan on addressing the problem. “We have awareness campaigns with
all the education facilities in the area to educate students on what preventative measures they should take.” When reflecting on the overall statistics of the precinct, Matroos says they are satisfied with the statistics despite the increase in robberies. He feels the police in the precinct have worked well over the last year and render a good service. The Rondebosch police precinct has had an increase in common robberies, with a jump from 46 to 56 incidents. Colonel Karl Wienand, station commander at Rondebosch Police Station, says they will be tackling this problem by increasing police visibility in summer by putting bicycles back on the Liesbeek pathway, as well as roping in the assistance of other authorities. “The other role players, such as traffic (authorities) and especially the Groote Schuur Community Improvement District (GSCID) assist us quite well and we will be using their assistance – especially in the subways.” The crime categories heavily dependant on police action also increased. These categories include drug-related crimes, which spiked from 34 to 80; and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs which had a sharp increase from 96 to 128 incidents. Wienand says: “I’m very happy with the statistics. We had one murder which was a big concern, although the person was caught I would have liked to have another year without murder.” Liz Williamson, Claremont Cluster Community Police Forum (CPF) chairperson, says: “Our statistics in Rondebosch are phenomenal compared to what they were. Our crime is under control.” Williamson feels it is the co-operation of all law enforcement authorities in the precinct which have improved the statistics. However, she adds that drunk driving remains a slight concern.