Local law enforcement officers were taken to task for their slackness when on patrol in the greater Kraaifontein and Brackenfell areas.
A monthly monitoring report tabled at a subcouncil meeting last week indicated that only 34 self-start incidents were recorded in the area within Subcouncil 2 for April.
A self-start incident is where a law-enforcement officer sees a transgression taking place and reacts to it, without a resident having to call it in.
“Law enforcement officers are not driving around with their eyes closed and must take action when they see transgressions taking place,” said Rhynardt Bresler, councillor for Ward 2 and member of the City’s safety and security committee.
Bresler says this report is very worrying.
“It means that only 1,5 by-law transgressions are addressed in the entire area per day. It also means that each law enforcement officer in the district reacts to only one transgression per month. This is wholly unacceptable and there is no excuse for this. Officers are on patrol during the day in our suburbs where by-law transgressions are rife.
“Vagrants are openly urinating and drinking in public and illegal traders are working our busy street corners. Officers should stop and address this when they see it, as they ought to do. It is their task to enforce the law on a daily basis to impose public discipline. At the very least this amount should be doubled,” he said.
The other 226 cases reported were all reactions to residents calling in complaints, the majority being noise nuisance.
Expressing his dissatisfaction Bresler advised officials from the City’s safety and security department to address this lack.
“Residents are unhappy and there is growing concern. Should these numbers not look better in the next month, subcouncil will take it up with the powers that be. This needs to change,” he told TygerBurger.
