MAKHADO (LOUIS TRICHARDT) – A major breakthrough is still evading the local police in their battle against the spiralling rate of serious crime. A spate of robberies, leading to loss of life, as well as large sums of money, has been plaguing the town and surrounding area for the past months.

An armed robbery, which occurred last Thursday (4th) at a local bank, brings the number of serious robberies at businesses in town, in less than a month, to four. One person was brutally gunned down and another wounded in two of the robberies. No arrests have been made in any of these incidents.

In the latest incident five suspects, armed with pistols, entered the local branch of Nedbank in Krogh Street. They held staff members at gunpoint, whilst helping themselves to approximately R300 000, before fleeing on foot. Nobody was injured in the incident.

Communications officer, Capt. Ailwei Mushavhanamadi, confirmed this week that no arrests have been made in any of these crimes. He called on members of the public who can assist with information about the whereabouts of the perpetrators, to come forward. He said that although no arrest has been made, good progress has been made in some of the investigations.

The search is also still on for armed robbers who were involved in armed attacks and several burglaries which occurred at Levubu, and which led to a public outcry there. Since the beginning of July, this area has experienced three shooting incidents within four days, and fifteen burglaries within a period of 96 hours. Four of these occurred on one day. In one of these, a 72-year-old farmer was attacked and seriously wounded by armed criminals, who were allegedly involved in at least one of the earlier burglaries, and possibly also in one of the other shooting incidents.

In the meantime, a dramatic decrease in crime has been reported from Musina. The incidence of almost all types of crime, petty and serious, decreased remarkably during the past few months. This is due to a co-ordinated, well-planned, pro-active drive by the local police service, with the active support of the public.

When questioned about the reasons for this relatively crime free record in Musina, Insp. Jacques du Buisson, the communications officer in Musina, who is also in charge of crime prevention, says all segments of the local public have responded positively to the very clear signal of a zero-tolerance approach to crime. "On a regular basis, we monitor all reported crimes. We identify trouble spots, which are kept under constant surveillance and are patrolled with zero tolerance for any transgressions. We respond immediately to all reported offences, no matter how seemingly insignificant. In this, we experience excellent co-operation amongst the various police units and with the general public. Criminals and would-be offenders soon realize that their chances of getting away with crime are seriously limited, when the police and the community act in a well- planned, coherent and consistent way."

Insp. Du Buisson says serious crimes are often the result of seemingly minor offences, like consuming alcohol in public or abusing alcohol at licensed premises. "A person who is under the influence of alcohol is much more likely to become either the victim or the perpetrator of a serious crime. Any successful drive to curb crime must therefore also include early preventative intervention through action against such seemingly minor offences."