Police beef up presence in Philippi East

Philippi East police officers in conjunction with various law enforcement agencies held a series of crime prevention operations in the area last week.

The area has been hard hit by crime, including extortion threats to businesses and robbery.

Spokesperson Captain Granville Meyer said on Thursday, September 12, they held a joint traffic operation in New Eisleben and Stock Roads where several taxis were confiscated and suspects arrested on various charges, including a 30-year-old man who was caught with ammunition.

He said for the last two weeks the crime in the area has decreased and their arrest rate has increased.

He said they have also visited schools unannounced and conducted searches.

“We are responding with a strong hand against crime and we are determined to ensure that criminals do not do as they please in this area. With the last two weeks of our intensive effort in fighting crime we have seen the impact and we hope that the community also sees the impact. We are tightening our grip against extortion which seems to be spiralling out of control,” he said.

Resident Siyabonga Yilo said he has been living in Marcus Garvey for more than 10 years and it has become notorious as a crime hotspot.

He said people knew the culprits but were too scared to speak out.

He said he was pleased with the police’s visibility and heavy presence of the law enforcement agencies and that it has brought a sense of calm to the area.

However, he fears crime will be even worse when the heavy police presence disappears.

Another resident, who asked not to be named, said they are happy with how the police are responding to crime in their area and hope they would be stationed in the area for a long time.

She said they are living in fear and cannot even talk about criminal activity openly because they fear reprisals.