By Cllr Karen Meyer
In a newspaper article this morning, a robber allegedly told a home-owner in Faerie Glen (in the east of Pretoria) that the area was dangerous and questioned why the family had moved there. As the DA ward councillor in the area, I can assure residents that Faerie Glen is no more dangerous than other areas in Pretoria East and in general, the crime rate in this area compares favourably to some other areas in Pretoria (as was set out in the statistics released by the SAPS earlier this year).
Having said this, crime in general is not acceptable and I have discussed the situation with the Tshwane Metro Police, as well as with the South African Police (SAP) at both Garsfontein and Boschkop. They have assured me that more visible patrols will be instituted in Faerie Glen (and other areas in their jurisdiction) and they will be supported by organizations such as neighbourhood watch, sector policing personnel, Radio Buddies and private security companies.
We are all aware that crime tends to increase at this time of the year as people are spending more money, going on holiday (thereby leaving their houses unattended) and generally, being in a more relaxed mode. The police have pointed out that it is for these reasons that the public must be more vigilant. By all means enjoy yourselves but do not relax your guard completely (for example, by leaving your doors open whilst entertaining outside).
Should residents require crime prevention tips, the SAP and/or Metro Police will be more than willing to assist in this regard ( this is also regularly done by way of the media and is on-going at this time of the year).
