A joint night patrol was held in Masiphumelele on Saturday 18 March in partnership with the South African Police Service (Saps), Metro Police, law enforcement, neighbourhood watches and the Ocean View Community Policing Forum (CPF).
Ocean View CPF chair Mansoer Ismail says the night patrol was organised after a spike in crime in the area was noted.
“The patrol was a joint operation due to the spike of violence in the area such as murders, extortion, robberies and domestic violence.
“It was also to show the community that we were there and ready for action.”
Ismail added that spaza shops and taverns were checked for licenses. They also ensured that there were no underage youth frequenting establishments.
“We found a small wholesaler/ illegal shebeen with 10 to 15 crates of illegal alcohol. We checked trading licenses for legal shebeens and we checked the age group of patrons.”
Local spaza shops were told to close earlier to reduce the number of people on the streets. Compliance checks were done onlegal shebeens and checks were done to ensure there were no intoxicated people on the streets.
Fines were issued and illegal alcohol was confiscated.
Meanwhile, Ward 69 councillor Patricia Francke, who joined the patrol, said it was concerning to see many young people standing around after hours.
“The crime stats in Masiphumelele such as rapes murders and family violence are high, so crime is concerning.
“I am the ward councillor and I do a lot of patrols with the neighbourhood watches and what I found this weekend is that there was a lot of movement and people drinking on the streets.
“We also found youth standing around, moms walking with kids in the street and youth from the age of 13 standing with a 20-year-old male for example. Prevention is better than cure.
Francke says they also noticed that spaza shops were trading too late into the night.
“We closed most of the shops that were running from 11:00 to 23:00. I don’t know where that is coming from.
“We walked through the streets and stopped at taverns, also explaining to them their responsibility such as, if someone entered the tavern drunk, they should not be allowed inside. That they need to ensure that there’s security at their premises and that there is enough space in the taverns.
“Some of the spaces were too small for a large number of people.”
