A new year usually comes with new challenges and hurdles to overcome – and it is no different when it comes to policing and crime fighting.
However, residents of the Stellenbosch policing precinct can rest assured that officers stationed here are ready to serve and protect, and combat all forms of crime in the areas they serve. This according to Brigadier Sandile Sonjani, station commander of Stellenbosch police, who last week shared the station’s successes and concerns in an interview with Eikestadnuus.
Top on station management’s list of priorities for 2024 is engaging the community to get involved in crime fighting, he shared. “This is a large and diverse policing precinct, which includes rural, township and suburban areas,” Sonjani pointed out. “In 2023, plans to reduce the number of crime incidents in hotspot areas like Khayamandi and Stellenbosch Central were successful, especially with regard to theft from motor vehicles and robberies.
“These successes are largely the result of officers’ efforts, along with partnerships with the Stellenbosch Community Policing Forum (CPF), Stellenbosch Municipality law-enforcement and armed response companies that operate in the area.”
Crimes highlighted as concerns at the start of 2023 were theft from motor vehicle, common robberies and house break-ins, the station commander said. Of these, there was a notable decrease in reported cases of theft out of motor vehicles and common robberies, Sonjani said.
“However, house break-ins are still a concern and will be on our priority list for 2024. Common robberies, especially in and around night clubs, pubs and bars in Stellenbosch Central, will remain on that list as well. These are venues often frequented by students, who are robbed of their electronic devices and more.
“As station management we have conducted an analysis on the crime trends and implemented changes to policing, in partnership with the Stellenbosch Safety Initiative. This includes an increase in visibility in areas of concern.”
Sonjani believes the successes speak to the importance of community involvement in combating crime, in the hope of more support from the community this year. He said the current CPF Executive Committee comprises eager and willing locals, who have been in their roles for about six months. “We hope to engage more residents to form part of neighbourhood watches in our efforts to make Stellenbosch a safer place, including the students of Stellenbosch University. We earnestly call on residents to join their neighbourhood watches and crime-fighting organisations, and get involved in policing as well as the business community and academics, who have the knowledge on how we can overcome challenges.
“We also plan to engage the municipality and government departments further, to devise and action a plan to address the concerns of homelessness in the area, as this is often linked to crimes such as house break-ins, theft and theft from motor vehicles. We can no longer work in silos and need to work together for the greater good.”
On keeping the morale of police officers up for delivering a high standard of service to residents, Sonjani said, a planning session was held with all members, who know what is expected of them this year.
“This year we will not move away from what worked in 2023, but rather build on it, effecting better crime prevention, investigation and, ultimately, arrests.”
