A group of Gompo Town residents, who call themselves “crime busters”, are on a mission to reclaim their streets, which they say have become the turf of criminals who target their homes.
Chairman of the Crime Prevention Forum Ludumo Salman said crimes such as robberies and house burglaries had reached a high in the community, located near Duncan Village.
“Gompo Town has been dubbed the ‘shopping centre’ by criminals, who just break into our houses and take valuable items and rob our kids of their cellphones when they walk in the streets,” said Salman.
The fed-up residents, consisting of young and old, men and women, said they decided to form the neighbourhood watch group after a 15-year-old was shot and killed during a robbery in 2008.
Armed with batons, handcuffs, torches and pepper spray, the group patrols the streets in the area every night looking out for suspicious activities. Salman said by keeping their eyes peeled and ears on the ground they had managed to recover stolen items such as plasma TVs and had also ensured the arrest and conviction of some of the perpetrators.
“Our approach is to take an investigation further by physically searching for the stolen goods, and some of the stolen items we have recovered were found stashed in nearby bushes.
“When we manage to get hold of the perpetrators we apprehend them and hand them over to the police. We then follow up the case and ensure justice is served.”
Lindile Tilana said his plasma TV was stolen during a burglary and was returned to him by the group, which had chased after the perpetrator. The criminal, who managed to get away, stashed the TV and other stolen items in bush while the group was hot on his heels.
“When my TV was stolen I had no hope of seeing it again but thanks to the crime busters I have my TV back,” said Tilana.
Zolisa Magwentshu said he became a crime buster in 2009 at the age of 16, after the group managed to apprehend two robbers within an hour of them robbing him of his cellphone at gunpoint. “I saw they were doing a great job in keeping us safe so I decided to join.”
Thulisa Biyo, who is one of four female crime busters, said she had decided to stop going clubbing and join the initiative. “I just got tired of being a victim and decided to join the group.”
Ivy Tshirana, a 64-year-old resident, appealed to community members and businesses to provide much-needed resources to the group. “The group sometimes operates without airtime, which makes it difficult to communicate with each other when patrolling. We owe them our support because they are the reason we can sleep peacefully at night.”
East London police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala said: “The group is working well with police to ensure criminals are arrested and the community is safe. Whenever there is crime committed they liaise with the police to assist with apprehending the suspects.”— arethal@dispatch.co.za
Hail the Gompo crime busters
Chairman of the Crime Prevention Forum Ludumo Salman said crimes such as robberies and house burglaries had reached a high in the community, located near Duncan Village.
“Gompo Town has been dubbed the ‘shopping centre’ by criminals, who just break into our houses and take valuable items and rob our kids of their cellphones when they walk in the streets,” said Salman.
The fed-up residents, consisting of young and old, men and women, said they decided to form the neighbourhood watch group after a 15-year-old was shot and killed during a robbery in 2008.
Armed with batons, handcuffs, torches and pepper spray, the group patrols the streets in the area every night looking out for suspicious activities. Salman said by keeping their eyes peeled and ears on the ground they had managed to recover stolen items such as plasma TVs and had also ensured the arrest and conviction of some of the perpetrators.
“Our approach is to take an investigation further by physically searching for the stolen goods, and some of the stolen items we have recovered were found stashed in nearby bushes.
“When we manage to get hold of the perpetrators we apprehend them and hand them over to the police. We then follow up the case and ensure justice is served.”
Lindile Tilana said his plasma TV was stolen during a burglary and was returned to him by the group, which had chased after the perpetrator. The criminal, who managed to get away, stashed the TV and other stolen items in bush while the group was hot on his heels.
“When my TV was stolen I had no hope of seeing it again but thanks to the crime busters I have my TV back,” said Tilana.
Zolisa Magwentshu said he became a crime buster in 2009 at the age of 16, after the group managed to apprehend two robbers within an hour of them robbing him of his cellphone at gunpoint. “I saw they were doing a great job in keeping us safe so I decided to join.”
Thulisa Biyo, who is one of four female crime busters, said she had decided to stop going clubbing and join the initiative. “I just got tired of being a victim and decided to join the group.”
Ivy Tshirana, a 64-year-old resident, appealed to community members and businesses to provide much-needed resources to the group. “The group sometimes operates without airtime, which makes it difficult to communicate with each other when patrolling. We owe them our support because they are the reason we can sleep peacefully at night.”
East London police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala said: “The group is working well with police to ensure criminals are arrested and the community is safe. Whenever there is crime committed they liaise with the police to assist with apprehending the suspects.”— arethal@dispatch.co.za
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