Fisantekraal accounts for almost a third of the overall crime reported in the Durbanville policing precinct.
This emerged at the Durbanville Community Police Forum (DCPF) meeting on Thursday November 9, where Colonel Marius Swanepoel discussed the latest crime statistics.
Released last month, the statistics log reported crime at stations around the country, from the beginning of April last year to the end of March this year.
During this period, 1 595 cases were reported in Fisantekraal. Durbanville CBD, with 850 cases, contributed to 16% of crime, followed by Sontraal Heights with 223 cases.
Fisantekraal, the CBD, Sonstraal Heights and Morningstar accounted for just over half of all crime in the precinct.
Colonel Swanepoel said Fisantekraal remained the biggest headache for the police, and a lack of resources and no neighbourhood watch — other than a few street committees — made it hard to keep crime in check.
Eight of the Durbanville precinct’s 12 murders happened in Fisantekraal, as did one third of the 26 home robberies and 17 of the 28 business robberies.
Almost half of the precinct’s 132 armed robberies and 219 common assaults were logged in Fisantekraal.
Colonel Swanepoel said alcohol abuse and robbery were behind most of the murders, while domestic violence fuelled common assault cases.
At a meeting in Fisantekraal in July, police warned of a surge in violent crime in the area. At the time, station commander Colonel Mary Cupido said there had been several murders and attempted murders there since April (“Violent crimes on the increase,” Northern News, August 3) and Warrant Officer Henk Roux said domestic violence and liquor were linked to many of the rape and assault cases.
At Thursday’s meeting, a resident asked what was being done to tackle crime in the growing Fisantekraal area.
“Surely something needs to be done. How much bigger does the area need to become before a proper police station is built?” she asked.
DCPF vice-chairman Glenn Schooling said he was concerned about police under-staffing in Fisantekraal. The forum, he added, had installed eight cameras around the satellite police station and red-flagged the proliferation of liquor outlets in the area.
Ward 21 councillor Taki Amira claimed policies governing the issuing of liquor licences had become “watered down” and were now under review.
Often the sub-council had no other choice but to approve liquor applications because those opposing them did not motivate their objections with information specific to the applicant.
Stanley Opperman, of Traffic Services, told the meeting that traffic officers had arrested 21 drunk drivers during an operation in Durbanville on Saturday November 4, with three arrested for reckless and negligent driving, two for resisting arrest and one for threatening an officer. He said there had been 1 331 drunk-driving arrests across the city, from July to September. Mr Opperman said the legal limit was 0.24 which amounted to two beers or two glasses of wine.
“When you are arrested, you are on your own: no one can come to your rescue; you will spend the night in the cell,” he said.
Mr Opperman said offenders could be sentenced to imprisonment, have their licence suspended or be fined.
DCPF chairman Denzil Smerdon said the statistics were frightening especially with the “silly season” fast approaching and he said they needed to do more to make the public aware of the seriousness of the situation.
According to the latest crime statistics, police arrested 221 people in the Durbanville precinct for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, during the 2016/2107 financial year.