According to Reiger Park SAPS station commander, Col Sipho Mathebula, the new tactic is already bearing fruits.
Scores of suspects have been arrested and dozens of drugs and suspected stolen goods have been seized over a four-day period, with officers from the local station and the Gauteng SAPS targeting cars and pedestrians.
Mathebula says that the idea is to reduce crime and to make sure Reiger Park sheds its image as a violent and a crime-ridden township.
“We have had some victims trying to withdraw cases after their stolen goods have been recovered and the suspects arrested, but we have told them no,” says Mathebula.
“These are the very same people who are always complaining that police are not doing their jobs. Now police are working hard to catch offenders and conduct extra patrols in hotspot locations, but some of the victims want to chicken out.”
Several teams consisting of Crime Intelligence, POPS, Flying Squad, EMPD and K9 unit can be seen patrolling on foot and police vehicles in Reiger Park, with officers carrying out roadside checks using detection dogs.
Officers are also positioned in every entrance and exit into the township monitoring anyone entering or leaving Reiger Park.
Some residents criticise the tactic, arguing that the initiative infringes on people’s privacy, but in general community members are in favour of the police’s action.
“If it’s going to catch criminals, it’s a good idea. But if the police abuse their powers by using heavy-handed tactics on law-abiding citizens, then that would be an infringement of people’s civil liberties,” says an elderly resident of Reiger Park.
The secretary of the Reiger Park CPF, Trevor Reeby, welcomes the decision by the police to intensify patrols.
“As the CPF, we have always said we need more police around here. The more police on the streets the better,” says Reeby.
Another resident working very closely with the police says she is not sure how much good the operation will do.
“If they can stop people getting hijacked, mugged, killed or beaten up, then that’s great,” says the resident.
Reiger Park SAPS spokesperson Sgt Mashudu Phathela last week urged members of the community to cooperate with security agencies in flushing out criminals from the township.
He assured residents that the police would be conducting their work in a diligent manner, and encouraged residents to send tip-offs to the police.
To contact the Reiger Park SAPS contact 011 916 7000.
– @FanieBoksburg
