MAKHADO (LOUIS TRICHARDT) – An alarming explosion in the incidence of crime in the Makhado area was reflected in statistics released during the recent summit on crime prevention strategies.

Increases of up to 550% in certain crimes investigated at the 11 police stations under the Makhado Municipality were reported at the summit by the office of the area commander, CIAC, Vhembe Area.

There were increases of up to 200% in rape, 300% in attempted murder and 550% in common robbery at certain stations.

The summit on 17 September at the local show grounds was organised by the Department of Safety Security and Liaison and attended by the MEC, Ms Dikeledi Magadzi. It focused on crime trends between June 2003 and August 2004 at the Waterpoort, Vuwani, Siloam, Levubu, Bandelierkop, Tshitale, Waterval, Mphephu, Tshilwavhusiku, Mara and Makhado (Louis Trichardt) police stations.

Increases of 100% and more were experienced in burglaries at businesses at Mphephu (150%); in common robbery at Waterval (550%), Tshilwavhusiku (100%) and Siloam (100%); theft of motor vehicles in Louis Trichardt (186%); theft from motor vehicles in Waterval (500%); attempted murder in Louis Trichardt (300%); common assault at Siloam (133%) and rape in Tshitale (200%), Waterval (200%) and Bandelierkop (150%).

Factors listed in the report as inhibiting police work in the Makhado Municipality include illegal structures erected by hawkers, the lack of sufficient street lighting in certain spots, the absence of street names and numbers, bushes surrounding residential areas, the poor condition of roads, the lack of control over the placement of liquor outlets and the lack of relevant recreational facilities for juveniles.

The report says the uncontrolled proliferation of structures erected anywhere by hawkers to conduct their business is causing people to become targets of criminals. These places are used to sit and plan crime and hide stolen property. They also serve as strategically erected lookout and monitoring points from which specific streets and residences can be watched. Many of these structures obstruct pedestrian traffic, forcing people to walk into the streets, causing the possibility of accidents.

The same problem is caused by surrounding bushes, which create the opportunity for criminals to hide away stolen goods and to rape. The report suggests that these areas should be cleared and be used to create recreational parks which are open and accessible to the community. This will reduce the opportunity to commit crime and to hide stolen property.

The report states that the condition of roads in the Makhado Municipality’s residential areas is hampering service delivery. Some roads are totally unfit for vehicle traffic. Others become impossible to use when it rains, causing police members to attend complaints on foot. This is time consuming and causes complaints about service delivery.

In the report, municipal councillors are urged to become more involved in the decision of the placement of liquor outlets and the awarding of liquor licences. The number of outlets should be controlled, as situations where several liquor outlets are situated next to each other create social problems and unnecessary confrontations.

The report states that an increasing number of juveniles are being arrested for offences like rape, burglary and robbery. Juveniles’ visiting places of adult entertainment, like taverns and shebeens, causes many of these offences. They go there because there are no recreational facilities provided for them. Sporting facilities and development programmes should be provided to keep them busy after school hours.

The report also emphasises the importance of municipalities’ becoming involved in diversion programmes – providing inputs and facilities as well as social workers to address youth offenders. Municipalities can be much more involved by assisting with places of detention for youth offenders. Municipalities should also become more involved in station structures. They have a tendency to involve only councillors and do not send appointed office bearers to these meetings.