Crime, more particularly petty crime seemingly continues on a daily basis in the Laudium area, with many residents now not even bothered to report the crime to the local police.
Residents told the Laudium Sun that they see no point in reporting these kinds of crimes, as the local police are not interested in arresting petty criminals. Residents claim that many of the petty criminals are nyaopes, who freely walk the streets, watching or timing houses that they could easily steal something from. Despite many calls by residents for the police to have regular ‘stop and search’ operations and raids at the abandoned buildings used by nyaopes, the police together with the CPF seem not to be interested in being pro-active in fighting crime in the area.
In one of the recent incidents of petty crime reported to the Laudium Sun, two Black males brazenly removed outside light fittings from a Brown Street, Laudium home, while the lights were still on during the night. The theft has left the owner of the Brown Street home completely puzzled, as this was one kind of theft she never anticipated would take place, more so as the owner installed a number of lights outside her house to light up the area, hoping it would be a deterent for criminals stealing from her property.
fittings from this Brown Street home.
Homeowner Rogni Chetty explained further to the Laudium Sun of the theft that took place last Sunday night just past 10pm. “It was really a bad night for me as all the outside light fittings were stolen. I was inside my house when at around 10:30pm, I heard a sound of someone jumping over my front wall. I quickly moved to the front window to check what was happening and I was surprised to find the front part of my yard almost in darkness. However, I managed to spot two Black guys in my yard. When they heard me, as I opened the window, they quickly sprang back over my wall and ran away. This all happened very fast and before I could even react, these guys disappeared into the darkness. I then went into the front yard to check why was the place so dark, only to discover that seven light fittings and some electric wire from the light fittings had been stolen. Our area has become a common target for criminals despite not being far from the Laudium Police Station. The Laudium Cricket Ground is opposite my house and it has created a hiding place for criminals, who steal from the nearby houses and then run towards the cricket grounds, after which they disappear into the nearby bush behind the grounds. There are many nyaopes who hide in the area of the sporting grounds and watch our houses with bad intentions. I cannot understand why our police and the CPF Patrollers do not patrol the area of the sports grounds on a regular basis, especially at night. There is clearly a lack of visible law enforcement presence in this area. I have not seen police patrolling our area for a long period of time, more so at night. I have never seen CPF Patrollers on our street. I have not reported the theft to the police as I see no point, because the police are not interested in arresting these petty criminals. This raises serious question about safety and protection for ordinary residents. This theft has caused me financial pressure and emotional stress. I am a pensioner and replacing the stolen items is not easy. These special outdoor electric bulbs are expensive and now leaving my yard in darkness is not safe as it would increase the risk of another crime. Living with constant fear and insecurity is not acceptable. Crime in this area must stop and urgent attention is needed by those in authority to restore safety for every resident of this street and the area.”
Flosie Naidoo, another resident of Brown Street, told the Laudium Sun, “It is very hard for my neighbour to replace all the light fittings which were stolen from her yard, as she is a pensioner. This theft has caused a lot of stress and worry for her because these outside fittings are expensive and due to financial constraints, not easy to replace immediately. A pensioner cannot afford this kind of expense and this situation puts pressure on other daily living expenses. Life in this area is no longer peaceful and our fear of falling victim to crime, controls our everyday routine. Crime on our street remains high because of the open space opposite us, as the sporting grounds are opposite us. Even though the Laudium Police Station is very close to this street, crime levels continue to rise at an alarming rate. There is a serious lack of visible policing and this makes us residents feel abandoned. During the day, police vehicles can sometimes be seen moving around, but at night, the situation changes completely. At night there is no police van visible in this area and this give criminals more confidence to operate. Our street needs police patrols at night urgently. As a community we want to live without fear and want to feel safe inside our own homes and on the streets. This situation cannot continue like this because it destroys trust in the police. Immediate action from the Laudium Police and the CPF is necessary to bring back safety, dignity and peace to Brown Street.”
Faiza Khan, also of Brown Street, told the Laudium Sun, “Life on Brown Street is really horrible because serious incidents of crime are happening during the night and there are no police patrols at night in this area. There are also no Community Patrollers present to give protection. As residents of this street, we cannot sleep peacefully due to constant worry. We urge the police to patrol our street, more so at night.”