The Bishop Lavis Crime Prevention Forum (BLCPF) says it shares the community’s concern about rising serious and violent crime in the Bishop Lavis policing precinct.
Lack of plan
Graham Lindhorst, the organisation’s spokesperson, says of greater concern is the apparent lack of a plan from law-enforcement agencies to deal with the rise in these and other crimes.
“Shootings have become a daily occurrence in all three sectors of the Bishop Lavis precinct. Murders have become almost a daily feature. The flare-up of gang violence in Sector 1 is a particular concern. Bonteheuwel has a history of gang-related crime getting out of hand, which has in the past drawn all the police resources in that sector to deal with it,” says Lindhorst.
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Lindhorst said the violence was also spreading to other areas.
“Sector 2, mainly Valhalla Park and Kalksteenfontein, is also experiencing daily shootings, often resulting in murders. Sporadic shootings and murders in Sector 3, particularly in the Berge, Pink Flats and Greenlands areas, are causing the community to live in fear.
“We call on police management to put measures in place to deal with escalating crime in the Bishop Lavis precinct. We further call on the police to engage meaningfully with community stakeholders who are able and willing to engage with law-enforcement agencies to help reduce crime,” he says.
Latest
The latest shooting happened on Sunday 25 October at about 19:00 in Teak Road, Bonteheuwel, where a 31-year-old man was shot and fatally wounded and a 43-year-old woman was wounded.
“Bishop Lavis police were called to the crime scene, where they found the victims with gunshot wounds. The man was declared dead at the scene by medical personnel, while the woman was taken to a medical facility for treatment. The motive for the attack has yet to be determined. The suspects fled the scene and have yet to be arrested,” says police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg.
He urged anyone with information about the shooting to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or use the MySAPS mobile application anonymously.
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