Brighton Beach SAPS highlight the dangers of gun violence

Brighton Beach SAPS officers, in partnership with their partners in policing, hosted an enlightening programme aimed at highlighting the dangers of gun violence and combating violent crimes. 

As stated by Cpt Louise Le Roux, the station’s corporate communication and liaison officer, the primary aim of this initiative was to join forces with other law enforcement agencies to create awareness regarding the surge in armed robbery incidents within Brighton Beach’s policing precinct.

The secondary objective involved advocating for reporting illegal possession and distribution of firearms as well as reckless handling among lawful gun owners through Crime Stop’s anonymous tip-off line on 08600-10111, and the MySAPS mobile app’s *123*10111# service.

The initiative was a success and saw 500 gun violence information guides and 500 safety information guides about robbery in public being distributed by the stakeholders. 

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The robbery information flyer distributed provided the following safety guidelines:

• Pay attention to your surroundings and avoid distractions.
• Walk near the curb, on the side facing oncoming traffic. This decreases the risk of someone in a car coming from behind you and grabbing you or your bag. It also gives you a better angle to see into alleys and a better path to escape if attacked.
• Do not walk in the street whilst texting, talking on your phone or listening to music through headphones.
• If confronted by perpetrators, adhere to their requests. Do not challenge them, hand over the demanded items. They will not hesitate to hurt you to get what they want.
• Do not use bushy areas or stairways. Rather, use a public road.
• Do not wear expensive jewellery as this attracts criminals.
• Avoid dangerous parts of a town or area, or places with little foot traffic, especially at night.
• Do not walk in the street whilst intoxicated.
• Avoid carrying large amounts of cash on your person. Rather utilise debit card facilities or make use of internet transfers.
• Do not carry paperwork with you that reveals your personal address or details.
• If you are visiting a new location, find out in advance the safest and quickest route prior to departure. Also, ask for beacons along the way so you can make sure you are moving in the right direction.
• Do not carry any identification tag attached to your house keys such as your physical address or mobile number.
• If you predominantly travel by foot, attach a whistle to your handbag or belt for easy access. Blow short, yet loud breaths through your whistle. This will serve as an alarm and attract attention towards yourself as a call for help.
• Regularly peep over your shoulder just to make sure you are not being followed. If you suspect that you are being followed, change direction, move towards a group of people or enter a shopping complex.

“Through this gun violence initiative and collaboration with the various stakeholders, awareness was created on prevailing crime trends in the Brighton Beach policing precinct. Thank you to the stakeholders, Metro Police, Mzansi Security Tactical Unit, Fidelity ADT, Reho Protection Services, RTL8 Community Group, Bluff CPF Sub-Forum, Brighton Beach VFR, management and tenants from the Hillside Mall and Bluff Towers Mall, and our Brighton Beach SAPS Visible Policing Support Group, for their operational support,” said Cpt Le Roux as she concluded.