KZN CPF says fear keeps residents from reporting crime

Secretary of the KwaZulu-Natal Community Policing Forum (CPF) Siyanda Biyela says people are becoming more reluctant to join crime-fighting structures in their areas for fear of being targeted by criminals.

This follows the mass shooting of eight people at the Zamani Transit Camp in Umlazi in the south of Durban. The victims were gunned down while inside a dwelling in the transit camp. Four other people were wounded.

Biyela says people are hesitant to report crime to the police because they are feeling unsafe.

“Part of the challenges that we have is that people are getting scared to report these crimes because these syndicates in informal settlements are more on drugs. There are people who are selling drugs in these areas and there are people who are selling alcohol. So, part of our challenge, as the CPF, the clouding call is that people must join CPFs and assist the police,” says Biyela.

Biyela has encouraged people to continue to support the police in crime-fighting efforts. He says they can report crime anonymously.

“More than that, our call is that they must use 08600 10111 to report crimes anonymously so that they keep themselves safe because there’s no way we are able to keep them safe. The police work is sterling in the province, but we want to ensure that as the community safety structures the support that we give them must be in information and ensure that they close the cases as quickly as they can,” says Biyela.