The Highs and Lows of Public Safety

Public Safety in the Muizenberg Improvement District can be a challenging job from several points of view:

• There are numerous entry and exit points to the coastal suburb which makes it difficult to police
• There are low engagement levels with the local neighbourhood watch the Muizenberg Community Safety Initiative – MCSI (of approximately 1200 properties in the area, only 152 individuals are members)
• There is an influx of people from all over, particularly during the summer month
• There is a high number of transient residents who rent or stay only for a short while
• The community has very different views of what good public safety means – some feel more action is needed while others feel less action is needed

Public safety is not something that happens in isolation, however. The MID Public Safety management works very closely with SAPS, Law Enforcement and MCSI to share information and ensure an intelligent and pro-active approach. It’s not only about patrolling the streets: it’s about understanding what you see and reacting quickly when necessary. It’s about being a productive part of the bigger crime-fighting strategy for the area.

Two incidents logged by the MID Public Safety patrollers in February 2017 are illustrative:

Mugging at the beach

On a Sunday morning two patrollers were approached by a couple who had been robbed on the beachfront. They managed to establish, by tracking one of the cellphones, that the perpetrators must still be close by. The MID patrollers searched the area and found a man near the stolen bag. On spotting them, the man began to run but was quickly apprehended by the patrollers. When only prescription glasses were found in the bag, the man confessed that his accomplices were on their way to Capricorn with the other goods. Backup MID patrollers were called for and they found the accomplices in Axminster Road. The first man then attempted to escape by running into the Vlei, but was caught by a member of the public who gave chase! Unfortunately, the stolen items were not recovered, but this man was taken to SAPS and a case was opened.

Move along sir!

On a Saturday afternoon, one of the MID patrollers noticed a well-known Muizenberg trouble maker loitering on the corner of Clevedon and Albertyn Roads. He approached him, and asked him to move along. A resident came out of a nearby house and became verbally abusive, swearing at the patroller and telling him he had no right to move people along. The patroller attempted to explain that the man was known to local authorities as a trouble-maker and had in fact tried to stab someone the previous week. But the man simply continued with a stream of abuse and said the patrollers should do their job properly!

In February 2017 MID Public Safety patrollers responded to 11 reports of crime and 18 reports of by-law infringements at the following locations:

Call to action!

MID would like to appeal to members of the public to:

• Join Muizenberg Community Safety Initiative to get better acquainted with safety and security issues in Muizenberg and be part of the WhatsApp network that neighbours use to alert each other about suspicious activity or emergencies in the area (MID Public Safety is also part of the WhatsApp network)
• Report ALL crime to SAPS on 10111 or 021 787 9000, report by-law infringements to Law Enforcement on 021 596 1999, and always call MID Public Safety on 060 850 6260 when you see suspicious activity in the area
• Give the MID Public Safety patrollers your support and the benefit of the doubt – when they are attempting to move someone along it is usually for reasons known to them as well as the authorities, and will be in your best interests too!