Fisantekraal and Durbanville central are the top two areas in the Durbanville precinct where crimes have been committed in the past 11 months.
Durbanville police’s Warrant Officer Henk Roux presented a crime report on sectors 2 and 3 at the Durbanville Community Police Forum’s public meeting on Thursday March 9.
Sector 2 includes Aurora, Vierlanden, Durbanville central and Morningstar, while Sector 3 includes Sonstraal Heights, Eversdal and Kenridge.
Fisantekraal had 18 percent of the overall residential burglaries in the two sectors over this period, with 10 percent for Sonstraal Heights and 6 percent for Eversdal.
Warrant Officer Roux said crimes in Sonstraal Heights and Eversdal – mostly committed on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays — were due to their proximity to the R300.
Thefts from cars in Durbanville central contributed to 22 percent of crimes in that category for the two sectors, with Sonstraal Heights at 5 percent and Aurora at 4 percent. The crimes are mostly committed between 6pm and 10pm.
Warrant Officer Roux said the police had put a lot of pressure on the central area which caused crime to “flow over” to areas such as Sonstraal Heights and central left (towards Aurora).
“We are aware of this trend and have put plans in place,” he said.
Older car models stood out as they were not kitted with the newer technology, he said.
Central accounted for 38 percent of common robberies in sectors 2 and 3 with Fisantekraal accounting for 26 percent.
Many of the robbery victims in central had been coming from restaurants or social spots after hours.
Warrant Officer Roux said repeat offenders were often to blame for the crimes as it was hard to keep them behind bars.
He also warned people to be very careful when making online purchases, especially through sites like Gumtree and OLX.
DCPFchairmanDenzil Smerdon said members of Fisantekraal’s sub-sector forum had given their commitment to make their sector functional. He pledged the support of DCPF and said much work needed to be done in the area.
Bellville Magistrates’ Court senior prosecutor advocate Thango Pangalela told the meeting the Bellville Magistrates’ Court was making strides with drug related cases thanks to the dedicated drug court which opened in July.
“In the Western Cape we have a big problem with drugs and gangsterism, which goes hand in hand. We are hitting them where it hurts the most – their pockets,” he said.
For the month of February the drug court (H court) made rulings on 480 cases, of which only one was found not guilty.
Mr Pangalela called on the community to work with the police and send in their tip-offs – saying the fight against crime could not only be left to the police.
