Inwoners van die Groter Gansbaai het twee weke gelede hul misnoeë teen misdaad duidelik gewys  deur ‘n optog na die plaaslike polisiestasie te reël.  ‘n Versoekskrif is die dag aan Brigadier Donovan Heilbron, groepsbevelvoerder Overberg Polisiedienste oorhandig.

Dit was Woensdag, 23 November 2016 die spertyd vir die brigadier om hierop te antwoord.  Die versoekskrif het soos volg gelui:

We, the community come together today to voice our concerns and make demands of you with regards to the policing services in the greater Gansbaai area. Our town in the last few months has been plagued by increasing crime. These crimes range from petty thefts like bag or purse snatching, house break ins, car break ins, aggravated assault on residents in their own homes, assault on people walking along seafront pathways, attacks on people at the Gansbaai tidal pool, shooting at people on the way home from work, shootings in Blompark and the latest incidents of two cases of rape reported recently. One was a young teenage girl raped by 5 men, and the other a teenager raped by two older boys. This MUST be stopped and the only way to do this is with reformed policing systems, improved policing visibility and also more effective policing.

Gansbaai needs more police officers and more functioning vehicles on the road for VISPOL patrols. Pearly Beach needs to have it’s own police station or permanent satellite charge office. For Pearly Beach to be serviced from Gansbaai is ridiculous as it takes resources out of a more densely populated area.

It has been proven that the influx of poachers to the area have brought along a host of social and economic problems as well as an influx of methamphetamine drugs. The drug dependency rate has increased by 70% over a period of 30 months, the drug dependence leads to increase in petty crime, like house breaking, the spin off from this is fighting that leads to more violent crimes like assault and gang warfare.

Without proper policing this problem is not going to be managed and things going to escalate more and more. We demand that the SAPS conduct more productive raids on shabeens, known drug houses, known poacher’s properties etc to eliminate these sources of crime.

We want our children protected and we want them to know that a police person is a safe person to go to if they are in trouble.

We respectfully demand an answer and feedback from you by no later than Wednesday the 23rd of November 2016.

List of our demands

• More man power at police station

• Satellite  police stations or kiosks in all areas that currently do not have, and manned at all times

• More visible policing and patrols through all areas

• Pearly Beach needs a formal police station that is manned at all times and has their own vehicles

• Regular raids on informal shabeens and known drug houses

• ZERO Tolerance approach by SAPS members against ALL forms of crime.

Brigadier Heilbron se antwoord was soos volg:

A copy of the memorandum was forwarded to the office of the Deputy Provincial Commissioner: Policing, Major General Patekile on 2016-11-16.

Request was sent to Provincial Organisational Development on the 16 November 2016 to conduct a feasibility study into the establishment of a Satellite police station in Pearly beach.

During a community meeting held on 14 November 2016 in Gansbaai at 15:30 and Pearly beach at 18:00 the same day, the following progress was given: Visibility in the area have already been approved with a placement of a vehicle in the area on a 24/7 basis, Warrant officer Le Roux was appointed as sector manager for the area.

Continuous operations to  address drugs, shebeens and abalone poaching have already commenced.

Joint operations which is intelligent driven with Law enforcement are being conducted.

A dedicated capacity of Fingerprint experts will be permanently placed in the Overberg Cluster (first week in January 2017) to improve reaction time wrt housebreakings and other crimes.

Annual Fix Establishment plan will be updated and forward to the provincial office where influx into the area, additional housing, crime and other factors, etc influencing personnel be sent.

Establishment of a visible police section at cluster level to assist stations across boundaries have already stated to operate in the cluster.

Lt Col Moshi also handed application forms to community members whom are interesting to join as reservists.

The community was also urged to established a neighbourhood watch to further strengthen SAPS to make Gansbaai a safer place.

Tydens ‘n telefoniese onderhoud met rdl Dudley Coetzee, wat ook deelgeneem het aan die optog, ondervind hyself dat daar gereelde sigbare polisiëring in sy betrokke wyk plaasvind na aanleiding van die optog, asook ná die publieke vergaderings (voorbladberig Gansbaai Courant 17 November 2016).

Die telefoonnommer vir  sektorpolisiëring is 079 894 1626.  A/O Martie Roux is aangewys as die koördineerder vir Pearly Beach.

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