Reporting crimes on social media wastes time and can lead to criminals getting away.
This was the message from the Strandfontein Community Policing Forum (CPF) after a car was reported stolen hours after a message about the theft was posted on social media on Tuesday 10 March.
“It is important for the community to report crimes to police,” Sandy Schuter, the CPF chair said. “They have to report it themselves so that there can be a reaction from the police.”
Recent example
She said a recent post on a local crime chat group was the perfect example of this in action.
Schuter explained that in this incident, a resident noticed a white Nissan bakkie towing a light grey VW Microbus in the early hours of the morning and posted about it on a crimewatch group.
“Can someone please call the police,” the man says in the voicenote, which was shared with TygerBurger. He then goes on to describe the scene in detail while asking for someone else to call the police.
Hours later the owner of the van reported it stolen at Strandfontein police station.
Delayed response times
Schuter said that had the sharer of the voicenote called the police himself, rather than appealing to the group chat for someone else to do so, not only would the thieves have been caught but the vehicle could have been retrieved.
She said that posting on group chats for others to call the police delays response times.
“When you call as the primary person, police and other services get vital information directly from someone on the scene,” she said.
A bolo (be on the look out) alert was later shared on the same group about the stolen minibus.
“Phone the police when you see something,” Schuter said, adding that it is better for police to investigate a false alarm than for a potential crime to go unreported.
“Do not post on group chats in the hopes that someone else will report it. If you listen to the voicenote, this gentleman saw — but he never called. If he had called, the police could have still come out and caught these people.”
Personal responsiblity
Schuter said that the CPF executive stressed personal responsibility. “It’s your responsibility to call when you see something suspicious. Someone else can’t provide a clothing description or direction of suspicious characters — you have to be the one to call.
“This principle applies to reporting dumping and other crimes as well she added. “Don’t rely on others; log the incident yourself. With internet access and easy-to-use reporting links, there’s no excuse not to take action.
“Residents are urged to call 112, 107, 10 111, or 021 480 7700 to report incidents directly to police first, then share on social media.”Stop waiting for someone else to do it — take responsibility and report it yourself,” she concluded.
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