It seems that buyers of stolen goods, have seasons as to what they require and then through their network of thieves, the handlers spread the word as to which items are the flavour of the month, that they want their network to target.
As many residents, including the local cops and our CPF are aware, there are a few known buyers of stolen goods, who trade in the area, especially one particular trader living in White Blocks. Police are yet to raid his home and the CPF is yet to demand that police take action, or alternatively report back to the community that police do not take into account the concerns of the community. It is common knowledge, that the CPF is also supposed to be interacting with the community concerning problems with regard to crime and accordingly ensure, as a partner in fighting crime, that the concerns of the community are addressed appropriately, with the local police. Of course the CPF are not police officials and as such may not interfere with police operations, but they do have civilian oversight concerning the performance of the local police. To date, the public is yet to be informed as to how the concerns of the community are being addressed or how many cases reported were withdrawn in court, or how many cases, longer than a year are still being investigated or closed. Back to reality, there is an increase of battery thefts from vehicles taking place, with at least four victims complaining to the Laudium Sun and some not even bothering to report the matter to the police, as they feel police will not do proper investigations. One of the residents, Salim Moosa, of Bengal Str, told the Laudium Sun that his car battery was stolen from his yard, last Tuesday, during the night, but that he has not reported it to the police, as his neighbor had a similar problem a few months ago, and the police told him that if he had no information concerning the suspect, they could not do much to investigate the matter. Another resident, Preshan Pillay, of Emerald Street, fell victim to battery theft last Tuesday. Preshan told the Laudium Sun, “On Tuesday, early morning, at around 6am, I was ready to go to work in Centurion. I got into my car which was parked inside our closed yard and all seemed normal. It was only when I tried to start my car that I was taken aback, as the car was completely dead. The red light did not even go on, as I tried to start the car. I thought this happened because it was very cold and my car was covered with frost. But, when I checked properly, I noticed that the front passenger door was slightly opened. Only then did I come to my senses that a thief or thieves had jumped over our fence, and broken into my car. They opened the bonnet and stole the car battery. Fortunately, I did not have any valuables in the car. It is very disappointing that these thieves can do as they please, with no one to stop them. Where are our police patrolling and how many patrol vehicles are there at night in the area? It seems that our police think that the curfew also binds them from going out at night. These thieves either walked to my house or came by car, seemingly without any fear of being caught by the police. It is also obvious that the thieves have buyers ready for the goods they steal. Where is our police intelligence as to who the buyers are? What is the purpose of the police then, in Laudium, if criminals can move about so freely and steal so freely and easily? Something must be done in order to stop this pandemic of crime in Laudium. The rule of law must be applied in this town.”
