SECTOR 2 MEETING HELD AT THE HONEYDEW POLICE STATION
ON WEDNESDAY 13th AUGUST 2008.

1.            NOTICE OF MEETING
Notice of the meeting was given at the previous meeting and was sent out by way of e-mail.

1. APOLOGIES

Edgar Blomeyer; Syd & Nick Grobler; John Kennedy; Warrick Love.

3.         CRIME OVERVIEW
Honeydew Precinct was experiencing a torrid time. However Sector 2 had seen a decrease in the last two months and the crime had now shifted to Sector 4. Capt. Lamprecht gave a breakdown of the crime per category but these are not to be published, as they are un-audited. The last week of July was problematic in the Bromhof area where one house robbery emanated into 4 different scenes. Through the vigilance of the public, security company and SAPS two people were arrested on the scene and another suspect was caught later.  

The burglary residential in Sector 2 is occurring mainly on Fridays, followed by Thursday and then Monday. Theft of motor vehicle is occurring mainly on Friday and Wednesday. House robbery is occurring on a Friday and Thursday. Business robbery is occurring on a Sunday and Monday.

So far for the month of August, there had been an incident of a murder in Bromhof but Capt. Lamprecht had advised that the investigation was still ongoing. There had also been an ATM blast at Summerfield’s Shopping Centre in the early hours of the morning.

Honeydew has become Head of the Cluster Stations which include Douglasdale, Randburg, Florida, Roodepoort and Muldersdrift. Unfortunately the restructuring has not taken place due to the Unions. Everything has been put on hold from a control perspective; however the operational side of this was going ahead. 2 Road block Task Teams have been appointed, as well as 2 Vispol Task Teams. The Community Safety is providing 10 vehicles to work in the Precinct area. Special Ops are also taking place. Roger mentioned that a joint Community Ops had been proposed.

Capt. Lamprecht said that there had also been a change in the pattern of the criminals, with a white female operating with 3 black males in a B.M.W. Roger C mentioned that they had a white male approach their security regarding the maintenance of their electric fence. He asked Capt. Lamprecht what was expected from security companies in this instance. Capt. Lamprecht said that it was imperative that the security were pro-active and that they took down all details, car registration, make, model colour, any distinguishing features etc.

1. FEEDBACK FROM THE RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATIONS

Rupert Bezuidenhout – ADT. Rupert said that he wanted to make people aware of gate motor theft in Weltevreden Park. They had also seen in an increase in theft of petrol at filling stations.

Julia Evans – Bank Road. Street children had been seen sniffing glue at 16h00 in Hans Schoeman and Rabie. There are vagrants opposite Randpark High. Julia queried why there is not a crime brief every week. Carmel explained that any crime information has to come through the communications department. It was not always possible to draw the stats, as we have not gone over to the new IT system yet. People have also been on courses, but Capt. Lamprecht will bring this to the attention of Insp. Jacobs. Julia also said that with the ATM bombing she had tired ringing the station and the phone went unanswered. Carmel suggested she try the Sector phone. There had also been a youngster speeding in Pelikaan. Capt. Lamprecht said this must be handed to J.M.P.D. with all the relevant details. Julia said that she does not accept that nothing can be done about the postboxes at the Shell garage. This again is under the jurisdiction of the J.M.P.D. Shell also needs to come to the party. Roger said that a proposal had been put forward to re-locate the postboxes to Bromhof. Greg suggested that Julia follow up with Shell and SAPO to see the state of play. Julia queried 517 Pelikaan. Capt. Lamprecht said it had been reported to Andrew at Region 5. She also raised the question of the tin shack at 15 Pelikaan. Again this is a Health Dept issue and needs to be raised with Andrew at Region 5. She said that she would also like to point out that in the previous minutes 7 Le Roux was mentioned under her area and it does not fall within her area. Roger M said that he did the minutes and it was an oversight.   

Melita Meisel, Karen Terblanche – Old Duiker Ridge. Melita said that there had been scattered activity in their horse shoe of Duiker. She said that there were people trying to clean up the park assisted by the JRA as well as City Parks. Melita asked that patrols are carried out by the SAPS in Duiker and Bosbok as there are a number of people congregating there. Melita had attended the site meeting for the proposed development near Honeyridge Baptist Church. The planner has been asked to bring the number of units down and the Council had suggested that they go back to the drawing board. She said that it was emphasised that it is not low cost housing but will be 4 storied in some place and 2 stories in others. Karen said that there had been residential burglaries in Duiker. There are also vagrants by the dam. The drug dealing is still ongoing. Capt. Lamprecht said that there had been an arrest but he wanted the contact number of the gentleman who was witnessing the transactions. Karen said that she would get this for him. There had also been a purse stolen at the Nursery School.

Graham Rudings  – R.R.A.  They had had two thefts out of motor vehicles. 7 Le Roux still problematic. Again Capt. Lamprecht re-iterated that he was awaiting feedback from Andrew at Region 5. Graham also mentioned the incident that has been mentioned in e-mails that are circulating about a domestic worker who had been implicated in supplying information to criminals. He said that Joany Spies (A Senior State Advocate) had been trying to find out where the e-mail had emanated from. Apparently the incident had taken place somewhere in Natal. Roger M said there had also been an incident in Jukskei Park where a criminal had been seen taking video footage of homes etc. Graham said that he would look and see if he had a cellphone charger for the Sector 2 vehicle.

Greg Pearce – R.R.V.A. Greg said that they had seen a decrease in burglary residential since the white guy in the bakkie had been arrested. There had been a house robbery at Lorani Mews which backs onto the highway. The Councillor had undertaken to get the grass cut on the highway as well as Beyers Naude. Greg said that he in R.R.V.A. they took up pressing issues with the relevant authority and wrote letters, sent e-mails etc. in order for things to be resolved. He said that this forum was not able to undertake some of the things discussed as it did not fall within their jurisdiction or mandate.
           
Roger Costopoulos – San Marco. Nothing to report

Carmel Wassman – RPRCPA. Carmel said that their area had been quiet except for people going door to door claiming to be testing the quality of the water. This had been reported to the SAPS. There had also been people conducting Market Research for Markinor on air conditioners on a Saturday morning. This too had been reported to the police. Carmel said she was unsure whether the both incidents were legitimate, but it makes one feel uneasy as if you are under surveillance.
   
5.         GENERAL
Roger read out the e-mail received from Warrick Love about the problems from the vacant stand behind 64 Kelly Road. At least 4 attempts and 1 successful break-in in the past 4 weeks. The owner of 64 Kelly has contacted Randburg Police Station and apparently arranged for reservists to patrol. Roger asked Capt. Lamprecht to look into this.
Graham asked why there was such a low representation at the meeting. Roger said it was the same thing with general apathy amongst residents.
 
6.         CLOSURE
            There being no further business the meeting closed at 20h30 and the next meeting was scheduled for Wednesday 10th September 2008 at 19h00 at Honeydew Police Station.

                    

          

SECTOR 2 MEETING HELD AT THE HONEYDEW POLICE STATION
ON WEDNESDAY 09th JULY 2008.

 

1.             NOTICE OF MEETING
Notice of the meeting was given at the previous meeting and was sent out by way of e-mail.
Please note that these Minutes will be abbreviated as we could not make use of the Boardroom as someone had locked the security gate!

1. APOLOGIES

Carmel Wassman; Graham Rudings; Rupert Bezuidenhout (ADT); Edgar Blomeyer; Nick Grobler

3.         CRIME OVERVIEW
Capt. Lamprecht gave a report back on the crime situation for June – 102 incidents in Sector 2. Sector 4 (Little Falls) was being targeted at present. A gang of 3 black males in a white Sentra; 2 with AK’s and one with a pistol. The coloured guys are still doing the rounds in an X5 or bakkie.
From 01 August Commissioner Reddy will become (for want of a better word) ‘Cluster’ Commissioner for a new set up. Honeydew; Randburg; Florida; Roodepoort, Muldersdrift and Douglasdale will form a Cluster of precincts with Honeydew being the HQ. This should be a very positive initiative in the fight against crime.
Capt Lamprecht invited RA’s to set up a separate meeting at the station to register any “Patrollers” as Category D Reservists.

1. FEEDBACK FROM THE RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATIONS

Liz Keth – Emerald Gardens – all quiet.

Melita Meisel, Karen Terblanche – Old Duiker Ridge. The cable theft problems seemed to have stopped. Drug peddlers have taken up at 1 Bosbok – opposite Vesting Centre. There is also a Nigerian male trawling the streets in a silver grey Citi Golf. A white Cressida Reg Number BRR 3417 L has also been observed with suspicious looking black guys inside. Squatters and vagrants are gone but a raid in the veld revealed various stolen goods.

Greg Pearce – R.R.V.A. 2 x armed robberies down Randpark Drive. Down Holly Street a concrete wall was broken and a Merc stolen. It was recovered however. Park opposite Spar is full of vagrants now residing in the park. Laundry is hung everywhere. SAPS and Jhb Parks. Another robbery took place at the Spar – nine cutting blades found at the scene. Cut thru the wall and back of the safe and then chiselled away the concrete. Drug deal happened on Medlar / Ouhout – old Honda Ballade(?) light colour KZS 635 GP

John Kennedy (Chairman) – R.R.A. Pretty quiet.

Julia Evans – Bank Road. Vagrants at the Bromhof post boxes still a problem. Marco is attempting to have the post boxes relocated by SAPO to Bromhof Village – this is a logical move as there are permanent guards and the retail PO is right there. 517 Pelikaan – on the go. ‘Andrew’ has taken action. 7 le Roux – a notice was handed to the owner. 30 Days granted to sort our by-law contraventions or face closure or attachment. The park down Bank Rd is being used by quad bike riders. This must be reported to JMPD and Jhb Parks. Various people use the park for drinking binges and leave broken bottles all over the place. Capt. L will have a look as drinking in public is an offence. Also to Jhb Parks. (Julia)
Julia also said that she was concerned about the traffic signals at Rhema especially on a Sunday when they had services, as they operated the signals and it caused chaos. Roger M said that he would hand this over to Wendy on the Ward Committee.
 
ADT representative – please warn residents about unexpected ‘visitors’. Maids / gardeners / caretakers must not allow anyone onto the property even if they say they are on ‘official’ business. Residents must advise domestic helpers if they should expect deliveries etc. Also, litter on pavements must be removed as these could be markers! Marks on intercoms should also be removed. Melita showed all present a cleft stick she found on the pavement. Clearly this was going to be used to lift electric wires or used as a signal!
                       
Roger Costopoulos – San Marco. Nothing to report

Syd Grobler – Dale Lace Glades. Mentioned that a white Jeep had tried to tailgate various residents into the complex. Will try to get a Reg number. Thanks to the SAPS for putting a stop to the racing along Northumberland.
  
5.         GENERAL
            Roger handed out copies of the notice of a site meeting to be held on the property next to the Honeyridge Baptist Church. Dee Middlemas will apparently attend. Roger will try to get this info to Randburg Sun as well.
 
6.         CLOSURE
            There being no further business the meeting closed at 20h10 and the next meeting was scheduled for Wednesday 13th August 2008 at 19h00 at Honeydew Police Station.

SECTOR 2 MEETING HELD AT THE HONEYDEW POLICE STATION
ON WEDNESDAY 11th JUNE 2008.

1.            NOTICE OF MEETING
Notice of the meeting was given at the previous meeting and was sent out by way of e-mail.

1. APOLOGIES

Liz Keth; Bryan McKay; Edgar Blomeyer and Dave Webster.  

3.         CRIME OVERVIEW
Capt. Lamprecht said that in general the crime for Sector 2 for the month of May had been good. However Randpark Ridge was still the major contributor with the highest number of housebreakings. This crime was occurring mainly on a Friday and a Monday between 06h00 and 12midday. Robberies with a firearm were occurring mainly on a Friday between 18h00 and 00h00. Business robberies were occurring between 06h00 and midday. Theft of motor vehicle was occurring between 06h00 and 12 midday. Theft out of motor vehicle was occurring on a Wednesday, Saturday and Tuesday between 18h00 and 00h00.
At present the matrix is being used for Crime Prevention planning. At this point Sector 3 and Sector 4 have taken over for the number of crimes being committed. All resources were focused in Randpark Ridge and it was like playing a game of chess, where the perpetrators have now been pushed into Sector 4. Graham asked the question as to whether the perpetrators for the robberies and house breakings were coming from other areas. Capt. Lamprecht said that with the house robberies the suspects were often from Alexandra, Tembisa and Soweto. There were a number of groups working in the different areas. He said that the house robbers who were active in R.R.V.A were not necessarily the house robbers who were active in Randpark Ridge close to Rock Cottage.
At present (the past two weeks) there was a group of coloured guys who were active in the whole area. They were driving a Silver Golf V (or Polo, as there has been some confusion) as well as a white bakkie and a purple Corsa. There has also been talk of a black Drifter bakkie. In fact there had been an attempted hi-jacking today where this coloured group had been involved in Ouhout. Capt. Lamprecht said that he had received a look out and had gone all along Hendrick Potgieter in the Ford Focus ST and had not managed to catch them. He said that he thought that may actually be in the area as they disappear very quickly without trace.
Roger said the information about the suspicious vehicles needs to be disseminated quickly. Carmel explained that number plates are not given out if they belong to another vehicle as this could put the owner of the registered vehicle at risk. Graham said that he too would have a problem if the registration numbers were released. A comprehensive list of suspicious vehicles is sent to the security companies. Roger said that the Crime Brief needs to go out more regularly. Capt. Lamprecht will ask for this happen.       

1. FEEDBACK FROM THE RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATIONS

Melita Meisel, Karen Terblanche – Old Duiker Ridge. The electricity problems seemed to have stabilised. Capt. Lamprecht reported that Capt. Mokolela (Sector 1 Manager) had met with City Power to discuss the cable theft at the Olievenhout sub-station. Karen asked if anything had been done about the squatters at Vesting Centre. Capt. Lamprecht apologised and said that he had not yet got to this problem. Melita said that there had been a number of people just hanging around in Duiker, Bosbok and they had felt that they were being watched. Melita was advised to call the Sector 2 vehicle and report this with a description of what the people are wearing and where they are. She also said that they were making progress with the Residents Association and were well on their way to formalising the association. Melita said that there was a two door white Mercedes that was also acting suspiciously in their area.

Greg Pearce – R.R.V.A. Greg said that R.R.V.A. area was like a “war zone”. He said that there had been a number of house robberies in Randpark Drive. They all appeared to be on the highway side of the road. There had also been a hijacking in Essenhout with three learners from Randpark High who had dropped off a friend in the middle of the day and had then been hi-jacked by a lone gunman who then drove them around eventually dropping them off in Hawken in Bromhof. There had been an attempted hi-jacking in Naboom as well as an armed house robbery Waboom. In another armed robbery in Randpark Drive, the suspects had been at the house on the Monday and the house owner had fired a warning shot. They then came back on the Friday at 19h30 and committed the house robbery and roughed the home owner up. They had been in a white Toyota Cressida.

Graham Rudings – R.R.A. Graham said that their area had experienced attempted and actual theft out of motor vehicles in a number of the streets including Collins, Spreeu, Ferrero and Nel. They felt it was an internal problem with someone who was living in the area.
Capt. Lamprecht reported back on the problem in Le Roux and said that he had been in contact with the Law Enforcement (Andrew Motsuki) Region 5 who was involving the Health Dept. All the role players had not been in the meeting but he would get feedback. 

Julia Evans – Bank Road. Capt. Lamprecht said that he had also involved Region 5 with the problem in Pelikaan. Julia also brought up the problem with the vagrants at the Shell garage. Capt. Lamprecht said that this had been put in the planning for special duties. Doug Catten said that there had been 8 vagrants sleeping at the postboxes when he did a night patrol. Roger said that he gets at least 2 e-mails a week about this problem. He had also sent a strongly worded letter to the CPF Chairman, as he said that he does not know who to turn to if we are not able to get the problem resolved with the SAPS. He said that the Ward Committee was powerless to take action. He asked if the community need to turn to vigilantes. Capt. Lamprecht once again explained that it is extremely difficult for the SAPS to police, as if the vagrant is legal and is not in the possession of stolen property or house breaking implements they cannot arrest him. It is a J.M.P.D. by law enforcement. Roger said that he was just nervous that a member of the public would lose it. Graham said that there were different disciplines as far as arrests were concerned and he felt that we need to put pressure on Region 5 as well as the J.M.P.D. for these problems. Julia said there were also vagrants living along the N1/Rabie.
Julia also said that she was concerned about the traffic signals at Rhema especially on a Sunday when they had services, as they operated the signals and it caused chaos. Roger M said that he would hand this over to Wendy on the Ward Committee.
 
Warrick Love – Boskruin Gardens. All quiet nothing to report.
                       
Roger Costopoulos – San Marco. Nothing to report

Carmel Wassman – RPRCPA.  Still have the problem with the “brass thief”.

Syd & Nick Grobler – Dale Lace Glades. Nick said that there has been a problem at Eastwood Ridge in June that the gardener had reported.
  
5.         GENERAL
            Syd said that they had heard nothing further about the proposal for the low cost development next to the Honeyridge Baptist Church. She had asked Glynnis Kay to keep her informed about any developments. There would only be electricity available in 2009, so nothing could happen before then.  
            Lifestyle advertising boards – nothing to report yet.
            Roger C said that they had sent out a notice to their residents asking them to phone in if they were coming home late, so they could be escorted in by the security guard. Despite this they still have people hooting at the gate as they do not phone ahead.
Roger M once again asked everyone present to be vigilant when leaving and returning. He said drive down the street, do not make use of the same route, see what is happening in the street, and take note of suspicious activity.
Capt. Lamprecht said that he needed bring to Roger M and Greg’s attention the formalisation of the patroller groups. They had had a notice form the Provincial Office that there would be no more recruiting of “A” Reservists. All the people who are patrolling their areas need to get registered as “D” Reservists and be put on the system as soon as possible. 

7.         CLOSURE
            There being no further business the meeting closed at 20h00 and the next meeting was scheduled for Wednesday 9th July 2008 at 19h00 at Honeydew Police Station.

                       
             
SECTOR 2 MEETING HELD AT THE HONEYDEW POLICE STATION
ON WEDNESDAY 9th APRIL 2008.

 

1.             NOTICE OF MEETING
Notice of the meeting was given at the previous meeting and was sent out by way of e-mail.

• APOLOGIES

Dave Webster; Kim Myburgh; Liz Keth; Graham Rudings

3.         CRIME OVERVIEW
Capt. Lamprecht introduced Insp. Ian Jackson who is head of the reservists at Honeydew SAPS. He was present this evening to give an overview of the different categories of reservists, in the hopes that new reservists can be recruited for the sector to do patrols, neighbourhood watch etc. Insp. Jackson said that he fell under Crime Prevention and reports directly to Snr. Supt. van Rooyen the new Head of Crime Prevention.
There are 4 categories of reservists. Insp. Jackson explained that he was not experienced in this but he would tell us what he knows.
A Reservist: This is a functional reservist where you would perform the duties of a normal policeman. You require matric, a valid driver’s license and you would need to undergo psychometric testing. You wear a full police uniform.

B Reservist: This is a support service reservist. You are not required to do physical running around outside. You would perform normal admin. duties and you are not required to wear a police uniform.

C Reservist: This is a specialised functional reservist where you are specialised in your field e.g. Psychiatrist, diver. You are required to wear a uniform.

D Reservist: This is almost the same as the A Reservist where you undergo training and you would only work in the sector where you reside. You do not have to undergo psychometric testing. You will need to have your fingerprints taken and undergo police clearance. You will be required to do 6 weeks basic training, with three written tests. At present the training is taking place in Soweto, but it will not be long before the training is done at Honeydew. At present there are 75 applicants awaiting training. You are required to wear a uniform and will receive a service number.  

All reservists have to complete a minimum of 16 hours per month.
You will not be eligible to become a reservist if:

• You have been discharged medically unfit
• If you are a former policeman
• If you are a member of the regular or defence force
• If you hold a key position
• If you are actively involved in a political party
• If you are a full time journalist
• If you are a security officer
• If you are a scholar
• If you are a member of the municipal police service
• If you are a sheriff or deputy sheriff

You will also require a letter from your employer to state that it will not interfere with your normal working hours. Application forms are available on request from Ian Jackson on 072-986-3766.

MARCH CRIME OVERVIEW:
The crime for March 2008 sounds bad. However it is not that bad although housebreakings were problematic and Randpark Ridge was the main contributor. Wednesday and Fridays between 006h00 and 12 midday and 18h00 and 24h00 are the days and times when most cases occur.
Capt Lamprecht said that to date in April Sector 2 was showing a decrease in the number of incidents, so they must be doing something right.
Capt. Lamprecht said that Snr. Supt. Gerrie van Rooyen had taken over the Crime Prevention Unit recently and we need to give him a chance to settle in.

1. FEEDBACK FROM THE RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATIONS

Syd and Nick Grobler – Dale Lace Glades. Nothing to report.

Gerdus van Zyl - Bush Hill Village. All quiet.

Rupert - ADT Security. They had noticed an increase in crime in Randpark Ridge and they were present at the meeting to get a feel from the community.
 
            Melita Meisel, Phyllis Ewen, Karen Terblanche – Old Duiker Ridge. Phyllis said that they were still experiencing power outages due to cable theft from the Northriding Sub-station, in Olievenhout (not load shedding). It would appear that it was occurring at about 03h00 on a Tuesday as they have now had three such instances. Karen said that they had put notices on their blackboard requesting the residents to respond, however they may need to go door to door. People are enthusiastic. Roger said that they must keep going as areas where there are stronger R.A.’s; the crime does seem to be less. He said that you need a few willing people who will do the hard slog, in order to get it up and running. Melita said that the previous Sunday there had been a lot of ADT activity at the Vesting Centre. Rupert responded that ADT have a Task Team who is responsible for the clean up of greenbelts etc. She said that their constitution was in place and it was not that easy as some residents are apathetic.

            Greg Pearce – R.R.V.A. Greg said that the last two weeks had been better after a series of problems in the suburb for March. He said that they have problems with patrons from the pub, as well as with teenagers who have been throwing eggs and generally being a nuisance. He said that they had been doing residential patrols when they had picked up problems with some teenagers, who they suspected had been drinking. Capt. Lamprecht said that if they had been D Reservists they could have made an arrest on a charge of drunken driving. Roger said that in their area when out patrolling they have devised a method of hooting if there is criminal activity. They also ask residents to put on all outside lights when this occurs, in order to chase the criminals away.        

M.A. Grobler – Dowry C.S. They are mainly operating in the West Rand, however they have sites in Boskruin and they too have a task team, which should have seven vehicles by the end of the month.

Roger Costopoulos – San Marco. Nothing to report.

Graham Rudings – RRA. Graham had sent Roger an e-mail outlining the problems that RRA were experiencing. Roger asked Capt. Lamprecht to pay special attention to RRA as they had had at least 10 incidents that they were aware of.     

Carmel Wassman – RPRCPA.  March had not been good with a bad house breaking where a whole safe had been removed in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. There had also been an attempted housebreaking in the early hours of the morning but the perpetrators ran away when the resident awoke. Later that morning there had also been an incident at about 06h00 where the resident had awoken opened the bedroom windows and gone to shower. On his return his blackberry, a cellphone (Both on charge) as well as a tog bag had been fished through the window with a pole that was used for his hanging plants!

Roger M – BEAR. Roger said that they were sill quiet. At present they had 60 volunteers for their night patrols. He said that the Shell garage was going to have a complete knock down on 4th April 2008. He said that he would like to advise about estate agents being victims of crime on show days. This is also happening in complexes. Be on the look out for a Cressida, silver Polo Playa and a silver Audi who were committing crimes. Also there is a group of people impersonating labour inspectors visiting B & B’s who then rob the place once they have gained access.
  
5.         GENERAL
            Roger said that the proposal for the low cost development next to the Honeyridge Baptist Church had once again reared its ugly head. We would need to get more clarity from Dee White as she had e-mailed John Kennedy who in turn had mailed the CPF Office with the objections he had previously submitted.
            Melita said that they were experiencing a noise problem form the pub at the Vesting Centre. Carmel said that she would e-mail Steve Doherty as he is an expert at this with past experience and she would get the contact numbers for noise control. It was mentioned that there are a great deal of potholes around the sector. Roger said these must be reported to JRA on the 011-375-555 number.
            Roger said that he would like to encourage all people residing in the sector to write down registration numbers of suspicious vehicles and forward them to the SAPS and CPF.

7.         CLOSURE
            There being no further business the meeting closed at 20h15 and the next meeting was scheduled for Wednesday 14th May 2008 at 19h00 at Honeydew Police Station.

                      
             
SECTOR 2 MEETING HELD AT THE HONEYDEW POLICE STATION
ON WEDNESDAY 12th MARCH 2008.

 

1.             NOTICE OF MEETING
Notice of the meeting was given at the previous meeting and was sent out by way of e-mail.

• APOLOGIES

Carmel Wassman; Kim Myburgh; Warrick Love;

3.         PREVIOUS MINUTES
Roger M said that there is really no need to have Minutes proposed and seconded. The minutes are a record of discussions only.

3.1       MATTERS ARISING OUT OF THE PREVIOUS MINUTES
            Nothing further.

• CRIME OVERVIEW

Capt. Lamprecht introduced Director Nengovhela. The Director went on to explain about the R29,3m upgrade of the Honeydew Police Station.

• This is a ‘trial’ initiative on the part of SAPS
• The containers (sponsored by Roadwing) on the Northern side of the property will be converted into the ‘Client Service’ centre and serve as the hub of the crime fighting initiative. BAC will also be involved in a joint partnership with SAPS.
• A ‘War Room’ is being established to monitor SAPS actions, criminal events and plan actions.
• The Ops Room will have a large plasma screen installed that will allow the Officer in charge to monitor the exact location of every vehicle and be able to instruct the closest team to respond to any event.
• The existing side will become admin areas.
• New computers and software will be installed – costs borne by National SAPS HO
• Security companies are being linked via radio into the ops room. This is only those that join in.
• Vehicles and manpower:- the national Minister is looking into this aspect for Honeydew.
• There will be 1 temporary holding cell made available, but this is still not satisfactory.
• The initiative by 702 to acquire Garmins. Nothing coming Honeydew way at this stage.

Capt Lamprecht explained that due to construction work and power failures, we did not have crime stats to discuss, but….

• RPR had 17 out of 22 serious cases for Feb.
• Dog poisonings are picking up in Sector 4 (Poortview area) and car thefts have resulted. Roger M will send out an email warning to Sector 2.
• Look out for a white Toyota Cressida DKX 646 GP with 3 neatly dressed black males inside.
• Gate motors are being stolen. Either for the battery backups or to resell.
• House breakings and attempteds are up. House robberies down.

Dir Nengovhela went on to explain the situation that arose in Zandspruit with the murder of a 7 year old girl. The case is still being investigated at a very high level, so we cannot disclose info in these minutes. Suffice it to say that the media has sensationalised the event and there are a number of glaring differences between what actually happened in reporting the missing child and that which the media has published.
                                                                                                                                                               
    5.     FEEDBACK FROM THE RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATIONS
            Melita Meisel – Old Duiker Ridge. Urgent need to get the RA up and functioning. Vagrants taking up residence immediately behind residences in the veld. Seen to be burning the plastic off copper cables. This is a crime in progress. Report immediately to the control room and the sector 2 vehicle.

            Liz Keth – Emerald Gardens. Nothing to report.

Graham Rudings – RRA. Petty burglaries   

Brian de Swardt – RPRCPA.  Nothing currently

Eddie & Hettie Lindecke – Eagles View.  Very specific problem with ADT. It seems that they are abusing the privilege of having the code for access panels and are seen inside complexes. Also the same goes for when they have keys for pedestrian gates into complexes. It ties up with petty crimes being committed. Be aware of possible criminal actions by ADT guards.

Roger M – BEAR. Since cutting a tree down and installing razor wire on Pres Fouche side – nothing further.
  
6.         GENERAL
            We are still awaiting feedback from the Lifestyle advertising hoarding meeting.

7.         CLOSURE
            There being no further business the meeting closed at 20h15 and the next meeting was scheduled for Wednesday 9th APRIL 2008 at 19h00 at Honeydew Police Station.

                      
             
SECTOR 2 MEETING HELD AT THE HONEYRIDGE BAPTIST CHURCH
ON THURSDAY 6th SEPTEMBER 2007.

1.             NOTICE OF MEETING
Notice of the meeting was given at the previous meeting and was sent out by way of e-mail.

2.             APOLOGIES

Alan Sharp, Warrick Love, Kim Myburgh, Sid and Nick Grobler, Dir. Nengovhela, Snr. Supt. Lategan and Insp. Peche.

3.           CONFIRMATION OF THE PREVIOUS MINUTES
The minutes of the previous Sector 2 Meeting held on Thursday 2nd August 2007 were confirmed by Roger Costopoulos and seconded by Roger Munitich.

4.           INTRODUCTION OF SNR. SUPT. LATEGAN

This item was carried over, as Snr. Supt. Lategan had tendered his apologies.

5.            CRIME OVERVIEW

Capt. Lamprecht apologised for not having the crime stats for the previous month as he was not aware that Supt. Kobe had presented crime stats when he deputised. Capt. Lamprecht also said that he was expecting Snr. Supt. Lategan to do a report back, but unfortunately he was not available.
Roger M asked Capt Lamprecht for interest sake what sort of impact the events at the Dome have on crime as there had been numerous events hosted there over the past few months. Capt. Lamprecht said that with the big events maximum manpower is sent to the Dome; however there is also manpower from JMPD and the police only are present on the outside. The JMPD get overtime form the organisers of the event.
Roger said that the special ops in BEAR would have to take place over a weekend. This would still have to be coordinated. It was suggested that the ACCU guys are utilised. Capt. Lamprecht said that he had been with the morpho touch to the Bhukalani project as well as to the people who sit across the road.
At present they were performing residential patrols with a sign up of 44 members. 1 or 2 patrols go out at night. He said that it was amazing that the problems in BEAR had actually pulled the community together.
BEAR had experienced a number a nasty incident where a father and son had been shot in a complex. There appeared to be no forced entry from the perimeter as the electric fence was in tact and the pedestrian gate was locked. There had also been a number of break ins but in most cases it was negligence on the part of the owners with windows left open etc.
There was building taking place at 40 Boschkop and Capt. Lamprecht said that this could lead to problems as you have building contractors who then sub contract.
There had been a house robbery in Sherwell in BRC where an elderly couple had been held up.
There had been a driveway robbery in RPRCPA, where visitors from Zimbabwe had been followed from the shops and expensive jewellery and cash had been taken.
Bromhof had also had a few incidents.
Capt. Lamprecht also reported that a resident in a complex in Sundowner had shot a suspect during an armed robbery.
Christo said that he had made contact with Adele Stewart from RRA and he was hoping they would come on board. Everyone was e-mailing and hopefully by doing so we were reaching a wide net.

Capt. Lamprecht said that he would just like to comment on the previous minutes where it was stated that people digging in the dustbins did not pose a problem. He said that this was not true as there had been an incident in Sundowner where the guy was digging in the bin and then attacked a woman who was leaving the premises.

Roger asked Capt. Lamprecht how we could deal with the people who were selling the compost. Capt. Lamprecht said that a case of fraud could be opened.
Brass numbers had been stolen both in BEAR and in RPRCPA. The guards in RPRCPA said that they had heard the numbers were being sold to a scrap dealer in Strydom Park. Roger M said that he knew where the scrap metal dealer was and he would furnish the details when he next drives past.

6.         FEEDBACK FROM THE RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATIONS
            Edgar BRC said that they were still communicating with their residents via a paper version.
            Roger C San Marco said that they had adopted a no tolerance approach, which they had circulated to their residents stating that if the disks that are supplied for the vehicles were not displayed on the vehicles they will not be allowed access by the security personnel.
            Christo Bush hill Manor said that he had been a sponsor at a golf day at CMR and he was utterly amazed at the lack of security at the course.
            Dave Webster RPRCPA commented on the driveway robbery in the area
            Roger M BEAR said that they had reported one of their residents missing under very strange circumstances. He congratulated the police on their speedy response to the problem. Capt. Lamprecht said that he would get all the details from the CPF Office as he was not aware of it. Roger would liaise with Capt. Lamprecht regarding their special ops. It was suggested that 2 morpho touch machines, the chopper and the dog unit are available. Roger in turn would communicate with Edgar. All security companies who operate in the areas will be advised. RPRCPA will also advise their security when the date is set so that they can be on high alert if anyone tries to flee and com into their area. 

7.         GENERAL
            Nothing to report.

8.         CLOSURE
            There being no further business the meeting closed at 20h40 and the next meeting was scheduled for Wednesday 10th October 2007 at 19h00 at Honeyridge Baptist Church.

                      
             
SECTOR 2 MEETING HELD AT THE HONEYRIDGE BAPTIST CHURCH
ON THURSDAY 2nd AUGUST 2007.

 

1.            NOTICE OF MEETING
Notice of the meeting was sent out by way of e-mail, as well as being advertised in the Randburg Sun.

2.           APOLOGIES

Alan Sharp, Warrick Love, Kim Myburgh and Dave Webster.

3.         CONFIRMATION OF THE PERVIOUS MINUTES
The minutes of the previous Sector 2 Meeting held on Thursday were confirmed by Roger Munitich and seconded by Roger Costopoulos; however there was an amendment on page 4 paragraph 3 which should read Roger Munitich said that he was amazed that in excess of 200 e-mails had been sent out…..

4.          ELECTION OF SECTOR 2 COMMITTEE

Carmel said that while we wait for Supt. Kobe to arrive we would go around the room and introduce ourselves so that everyone present would know one another. Carmel also advised that Supt. Kobe was going to discuss the appointment of a Sector Committee.
Ralf Bittkau said that the most successfully run Sector was that of Douglasdale Sector 6, which was run by the Residents’ Associations and not by the police. He said that there were huge successes in this sector and at least 45 people attended each meeting. He said that all issues including Ward Council (street lights, grass cutting) were discussed. He said that he felt that a Chairman and a Secretary needed to be appointed. He also said that we need to e-mail out the Sector 6 minutes from Douglasdale.
Edgar Blomeyer said that he thought that the main focus should be on crime and that if we broaden the issues too much, we might lose focus of the real issue. Ralf responded by saying that the first part on the meeting needed to focus on crime and the second part on municipal issues. He said that during the Station Imbizo it was noted that there was a lack of co-operation from Municipal entities. He said that he had requested for City Parks, JMPD, Propcom, JRA to meet with the police on a monthly basis as this was all part of the bigger picture. Carmel said that she would discuss with Dean McCabe about the JMPD presence at the meetings.

Nominations were called for the position of Chairman. Roger Costopoulos proposed Roger Munitich. Roger Munitich said that he would accept the position for 6 months but would like to review the situation after the 6 months. Roger Munitich then proposed Roger Costopolous as Deputy Chairman, but he declined due to his work commitments. Christo van Biljon agreed to the appointment of Deputy Chairman. The position of secretary was not filled as Carmel said that she would not be able to attend every meeting as it would be shared between their Committee members. Lynne Roussouw had called the CPF Office and had offered her secretarial services. A message had been left for her and as yet we had not had a response. Roger Munitich said that he would do the minutes in the interim.
Ralf said that Golden Harvest was not in Sector 2 and that the sectors had been changed since the meeting at the Council Offices. Carmel said the sectors had not changed since then and Golden Harvest had only been in Sector 2 before the changes had taken place when there were still 6 sectors running. Carmel said that Asst. Comm. Reddy had wanted the sectors aligned with the Wards, but this had proven impossible due to the number of wards that fell in one suburb e.g. Randpark Ridge (there were 4 Wards).

5.          CRIME OVERVIEW

Supt. Kobe gave an overview of the crime in the sector. Due to the fact the statistics had not been audited, the stats were not to be published. Generally crime in the sector had stabilised and overall the sector had contributed the least amount of crime in the Precinct. Roger Costopolous asked what had lead to the decrease and Supt. Kobe responded by saying that Sector 1 was bad at present with a lot of the crime occurring in Cosmo City. This was due to the fact that it was a new development, with building still taking place, little or no security (no burglar proofing, security gates), putty was still soft on windows and the window could then be easily removed. Weltevreden Park had also shown an increase in crime.
Supt. Kobe said that Asst. Comm. Reddy had appointed a task team to investigate the armed robberies. They had focused on modus operandi and they had made a number of good arrests. Ralf said that Cosmo City was the furthest point in the Precinct and asked what the crime was like in the area of Golden Harvest. Supt. Kobe said that he did not have that information available as it did not fall within Sector 2, but as far as he was aware, it was quiet.
Ben Jacobs said that they had a number of peaceful years in BEAR; however of late there had been house breakings attempted hijackings etc. He said that he was aware there had been an increase in building activity. Roger Munitich said he was also concerned about the number of house robberies occurring within the Boskruin area. He said that we needed to have a person who we could contact immediately. Supt. Kobe said that the correct person would be the Sector Manager Capt. Lamprecht, however he was on a course at present and Supt. Kobe could be contacted. If it was an issue concerning intelligence then the CIAC Office could be contacted as they can then draw up a profile of the M.O., pattern to see if there is a trend. Supt. Kobe said that an e-mail could also been sent to the CPF Office which in turn will direct it to the correct person to give the problem attention.
Roger Munitich said that when Dir. Nengovhela presented the Sector Policing concept at the last meeting it was agreed that we need to see visible policing. With the vagrant issue at BEAR residents were becoming frustrated as it appears nothing is being done. Residents need to see visible action taking place. Roger said that residents need to become involved, however it was a two way street and they needed the buy in from the SAPS. Supt. Kobe responded by saying he is not making excuses, but the Honeydew SAPS are facing challenges at present. There are four vehicles in the sectors and they have to do all the complaints within the sector. If they arrest suspects they have to come back to the station to process them and there are no holding cells at Honeydew, so they then have to transport the prisoners to Roodepoort or Muldersdrift which means the vehicle is then out of the Precinct. Once they are back in the Precinct area they then have to attend to any outstanding complaints before they can perform visible policing duties.
Ralf said that there had been a good increase in staff and vehicles at the police station. Carmel said that the actual number of staff had not increased significantly as police personnel had been transferred, taken early retirement etc. He said that the vagrants opposite the Bhukalani Project had no right to be there and in an ops they had done in Douglasdale they had made three hundred arrests. He also said that the people who were in Golden Harvest Park made there way into Sector 2.
Roger Costopoulos said that he is aware of the problems being experienced in BEAR (his area had a similar problem four months ago) and he would like to assist and would like to know how we could go about tackling the problem. Roger Munitich said this is where Category D Reservist came into play. Neighbourhood Watch can also play a part but one needs to be certain what the bounds of the law are. It was suggested that more SAPS/community raids should be done.
Edgar said that as far as he could see, nothing has really changed, with resources still being a problem. He said that he feels we should be thinking out of the box and getting the security companies more involved. Ralf said that we need to get hold of the Managing Directors of the security companies and tell them they need to have a representative at the meeting.   
Supt. Kobe said that on the issue of vagrants, they do get arrested, however when they go to court the Magistrate just stamps to say they have been warned and he says they have also got wise to the fact that they do not have to pay a fine. Once they have appeared they just return. He said that the police cannot arrest them during normal patrolling as often the numbers are too great, so it has to be done when they are performing special operations. Roger Munitich said that we need to make their lives difficult and then they would not return. On the issue of illegals Supt. Kobe said that they are taken to Lindele, but he knows that there is corruption there as often the same people are re-arrested. Eddie Meisel said that he had had first hand experience of corruption at Lindele. He also said that he had previously been involved in the Linden Blockwatch where they had four vehicles and they managed to bring down the crime by 38%, however the efforts they had made were not appreciated. Roger M said that we need to regenerate some of the Residents’ Associations, as some had collapsed or were near collapse. He also said that it took a strong driver to actually drive the process. He said that he would like to do an article for the Randburg Sun, whereby we set out what we are doing, what we need from an R.A. as well as try to form new associations. We need to get more people involved as well as informed.
Supt. Kobe said that the SAPS were becoming more involved with other forums too e.g. garage, bank, security companies etc.  
Eddie said that if we could get one responsible person for each shopping outlet, complex that could then bring all the other people forward. He said that if you make that on person feel that they are the top dog it could yield results as everyone wants recognition. Roger M said that it was like the chicken and the egg, if the community sees that it is working they will then get involved, however we do need them involved. He said that success reports go a long way to restoring confidence.
Ben said that an extra 6000 policemen had been trained and would we ever to get to the stage where we will see “bobbies on the beat”. Supt. Kobe said he did not see this in the foreseeable future.
Ralf said that “bobby on the beat” works in London but it does not work in South Africa, as South Africa is so spread out. He said that the white paper on Sector Policing even goes down to street committees.
Edgar suggested that we need to have a grid for the Randburg Sun whereby we fill in the active associations and leave gaps for the inactive associations and make it our goal to fill in the gaps. He said that our objective is to be the benchmark for the sectors.
Roger C said that there was good news and bad news, the good news is that there are a few willing people to drive the process, however there the bad news is there are a lot of people who are willing to ride on others.
Ralf said the sector needs to be on the website, to which Carmel responded that the maps contact details etc. are already on the site. He said that RAC send out e-mails at a cost of R40 so that as soon as something happens in the Sector it is e-mailed. Roger M said this is only the second meeting of the sector and we need to take baby steps. We first need buy in from the community and then the SAPS. It is a process and we must not get ahead of ourselves.
Ralf said that it was fantastic that there were so many people at the meeting as at the previous sector meetings there were only two or three people.
Melita Meisel asked about the vagrants digging in dustbins. Ralf said that he had no problem with this as they were part of the recycling programme in Joburg.
He said that people must be aware of markers in the way of cans being placed on verges outside people’s property.

6.         FEEDBACK FROM THE RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATIONS
            Doug Ramage asked if there was a drug problem at Randpark High School. Carmel replied that she is sure that there are drugs at most High Schools. She said that Honeydew SAPS, in conjunction with the Dog Unit do raids at the schools within the Precinct area. Doug asked if there had been any drugs confiscated during these raids. Supt. Kobe said that in most cases nothing had been found during the raids. Carmel also said that the drug problem is not unique to schools. There are users in all walks of life. Residents need to be vigilant and look out for the signs of drug dealing. At the next General Meeting of the CPF, there will be a presentation on drugs by Capt. Combrink. It is scheduled for Tuesday 14th August 2007 at 19h00 at the Printing College, cnr Printech and Zeiss Rds Honeydew.
            Ralf said that there was drug dealing occurring at Banbury Cross behind the Friendly Grocer.
            Edgar asked what had happened to all the boom applications, as they had heard nothing to date. Ralf said that there would not be any approvals coming from JRA and in their area they were investigating applying for ‘Residential Improvement District’. He was not sure what the cost implications were.

7.         GENERAL
            Nothing to report.

8.         CLOSURE

            There being no further business the meeting closed at 21h15 and the next meeting was scheduled for Thursday 6th September 2007 at 19h00 at Honeyridge Baptist Church.