More must be done to sway youth from joining gangs in Hanover Park, says community police forum deputy chairman Cameron Weldon amid more shooting and stone-throwing in the area.
Children as young as 9 are throwing stones at each other while those aged 15 to 16 are shooting guns, he says.
Some parents know what their children are doing, some are in denial and others admit to losing control of their children, he adds, pointing to the prevalence of child-headed households and those where a mother or father is absent.
Police were patrolling the area to quell gang violence, but more should be done to stop children joining gangs in the first place because the temptation was on every street corner and there was the added pull of peer pressure, he said.
“There is no way parents can shield their kids. Youth gangs are running at schools and at shops. Children have to stand between gang members to buy something. We cannot tolerate that some parents are still in denial.”
Hanover Park needed a “whole-society approach” with organisations working together to stop the community’s youth “self-destructing” because it was often far too late to intervene by the time the Department of Social Development’s social workers visited the children’s homes, he said.
“There are not enough recreational programmes for youth to sway them from joining gangs. Hanover Park is extremely territorial; you can get hurt if you walk in a different turf,” he said, calling for more youth crime-prevention programmes and sport.
“Parents must take an active interest in their children’s schooling and check in with the teacher about the child’s behaviour and do something about it as early as possible. Children as young as 15 or 16 are riding in the back of police vans instead of on a bus going to further their education,” he said.
Philippi police spokesman Captain Lance Goliath urged residents to open cases, and he said the station sent officers to speak to children at schools, churches and mosques.
“The community needs to partner with us, especially the parents of the children who are stone-throwing. If a case is opened, we engage with the parents and the Department of Social Development to get the kids back on track, and then the prosecutor decides on what happens to the child.
“There are many organisations that parents can join so that we can work together to make the area safer for our kids.”
Hanover Park Residents’ Association chairman Denver Andrews said that despite police visibility in the area, shooting continued.
“There has been a slight increase on the one side of Hanover Park. Even though police are present on the field close to Downberg Road, there is still shooting from Donegal Court up until Algoa Court. Lonedown Road and Lansport Road also had stone-throwing.”
