Calls for a safer Athlone

There were calls for a safer Athlone during a public meeting held last week to discuss crime in the community.

About 80 people attended the meeting at the Dulcie September Civic Centre, including representatives from City’s Metro Police, the Athlone SAPS, the community police forum, neighbourhood watches and community leaders.

Athlone police station was among the top-30 stations in the province for gang-related crime, and that needed to change, said Lieutenant Colonel Louis Solomons, the station’s visible-policing commander

“If the community works with police and police act swiftly we can make Athlone a success,” he said. “We also need the various neighbourhood watches, community police forums and street committees to work with us. We must protect our property with alarms and burglar bars, security gates, and our cars too. If we don't go buy from the merchants, they can't make money and they will move out of the area. We must work together to make this work.”

Metro Police superintendent Carmen Malan said they were doing their best despite not having enough staff to cover the area.

Resident Irvine Van Kalker said the area needed proactive policing, and he added that more investment in the area would attract tourists.

“Our bins are being stolen and pushed around and it's illegal. These bins are being used for illegal activity. People are willing to help to better Athlone. We deserve better and not this. Most of crime happens at night,” he said.

A Belgravia resident said crime would decrease if the police did something about the “vlei” area, which he said harboured gangsters and criminal activity.

“It is getting out of hand. People are fed up. If the police can't handle it then the army must be called in. There are so many illegal structures there. What is the City doing about it? The vlei is a wetland, it can't be used to live in. It is unhealthy to stay in.”

Joan Leukes, from Crawford, said the Kromboom Road park was in a poor state because of vagrancy. She said there were too many laws protecting the homeless, and the park should be fenced off.

“From 10am, they come out and sit on walls having drinks, fights, and defecating all over. They throw their bottles right there and the containers they get food in from people. As a senior, I can't walk there at night. There is a party there every night, and the park cleaner had to pick up bags of dirt the next morning. We need something to be done.”

Ward 49 councillor Rashid Adams said 76 social-housing units would soon be built in Tarentaal Road, Bridgetown, and beneficiaries would have to earn under R3500 a month to qualify.

“We will also be launching a new project where residents can apply for a grant if they need help financially. This will happen in the new financial year come 1 July. Residents will need to register and meet the criteria. We also have an arts-and-culture after-school programme every day at the Bridgetown and Silvertown community centres, from 2pm to 5pm. It is good because it keeps children occupied otherwise they sit and do nothing. They also get a meal.”

Dumping remained a problem, and residents had asked for more bins as a solution, he said.

“We hope to create expanded public work programme work opportunities to keep the area clean because we clean up today and tomorrow that same area is dumped on again. We need to work together so the community can tell us what the issues are and keep the area clean.”

Ward 49 covers Athlone, Hazendal, Kewtown and Silvertown.

Ward 48 councillor Zahid Badroodien said drug abuse, prostitution, break-ins, robberies and other crime continued to plague his constituency, which spans Belgravia, Belthorn Estate, Pinate Estate, Mountview and Penlyn Estate.

“We have therefore put aside money to employ a law enforcement officer for Ward 48 so that issues can be dealt with quicker and our area made safer. We have two of them now and it has been a great success having them in the ward.”

He encouraged neighbourhood watches that were not yet registered with the City to do so, so that they could get support.

He said that he hoped to see the establishment of a community improvement district (CID) in the ward. Residents and businesses in a CID pay a fee for top-up municipal services.

Andrew Salick, an Emergency First Aid Responders (EFAR) trainer, said he was offering a two-day first aid course because if there were more first aiders in the community they could help a patient until the paramedics got there.

“People wait for help for long hours and they don't understand why. I call on the community to take up the certified course,” he said.

Marilyn Africa, from the Athlone Disaster Management Volunteer Unit, said they worked on weekends, public holidays and after hours because they had full-time jobs. “We want to give back to the community. If there is an emergency at home on a weekend, you can call us and we will stabilise the patient until help arrives.”