Door-to-door visits tackle crime risks in Ruwari

Brackenfell police officers, neighbourhood watch patrollers and CPF members after the patrol that looked for crime risks in Ruwari.

The Brackenfell police, neighbourhood watch and community police forum (CPF) are mounting a door-to-door campaign to identify “risk factors” in Ruwari.

They held a patrol on Thursday evening June 10 and, according to Brackenfell CPF chairman Werner Victor, it will be a weekly feature, in response to a rise in burglaries and thefts from vehicles.

The crimes, he said, had become common on the side of Brackenfell that borders Kraaifontein and Bottelary Road.

During the two-hour walkabout on Thursday, the patrollers – two police members, five neighbourhood watch members and two CPF members – warned residents about crimes and crime risks in the neighbourhood.

“Simple things like this can help fight the crime in a big way in Brackenfell,” he said. “We walk around where we have identified things that could attract and help criminals. The community has to make it difficult for criminals to break into yards and cars.”

For example, he said, thieves could use ladders or gardening tools left lying around to break into homes, and a wall could be scaled easily if a car was parked next to it.

“A total of 16 residences were identified with risk factors as possible generators of crime. Where the residents could not be reached, a note was left explaining the possible risk,” he said.