Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Night patrol with CSS and the SAPS

      
 Back on my trusty steed again
In this particular case
not so much a flesh and blood steed
but in a patrol car


This was where my evening started off.
At the Parkview Police Station.
Bathed in a soft blue light, it seemed to be rather welcoming...
unless you were being brought in via the back door in handcuffs.
PLEASE NOTE: I am not making any judgement calls in this posting.
I am merely writing on MY experience on the night.
Nothing more, nothing less...


They may look like a "rag tag" bunch,
but this mixture of security company personnel and reservists are a dedicated bunch.
Although all of the security companies are "invited" only three were represented.
CSS, 24/7 and ADT


Captain Jonathan Micheletti led the raids for the evening.
The briefing was done by a serving member of SAPS,
Captain Mkhize.
He thanked all the participants and was clear
and what they were to be on the look out for.
It was probably the coldest night in Johannesburg,
and standing around was not helping.
The men wanted to get out onto the streets.
Listen to some of the briefing here:
http://podcast77612.podomatic.com/entry/2015-06-04T08_31_48-07_00


Old school handcuffs...
as it turned out they were not going to be required


Ready for action...
The thugs that pervade our neighbourhoods
can shoot if they want to without fear of the consequence.
Police on the other hand, have to account for every bullet fired.
Level playing fields?
I don't think so.
What the "good guys" DO have are fire-crackers...
And I saw these used to good effect to flush out vagrants from overgrown areas.
In fact, the noise is so effective that when I returned home and checked Facebook,
there were several mentions of shots being heard in the area.
That particular part of the evening netted three guys who were sleeping
 in the veld near the Pirates Club in Greenside.


My "office" for the evening.
The back of the CSS Strike vehicle


Etienne and Chris are both area managers for CSS Tactical,
and they were my hosts for the evening.
We have recently signed up with CSS and Chis is our area manager.


Kitted up for the evening,
bullet proof vest et al.
I chose the lighter of the two vests offered to me.
I was informed that this would stop a handgun round.
The heavier one is capable of  withstanding a bullet from an AK47.
Personally, I did not want to field test either.


Most of the evening centered around the Westcliff area.
I did not realize just how many abandoned buildings
there are in this upmarket suburb.
This is the first one that we entered...fortunately
(or unfortunately,depending on your point of view)
there was no one found loitering on the premises.
The view from the house is spectacular,
so it begs the question,
"Why has it been left to rot"?
This is what I had to say:...
http://podcast77612.podomatic.com/entry/2015-06-04T08_36_52-07_00


Our second point of call was just around the corner...


We bumped into this lady who explained that she had been robbed
just a few days ago. And not for the first time.
The police were given access to an adjoining property,
which was the point of intrusion for the robber
The caretakers sleeping on the property
seemed to be glad to have the police paying a visit.


Part of the CSIR building just off Barry Hertzog Ave.
Here we found two guys sleeping,
but they did have permission,
so they were questioned and allowed to get back to sleep


The Braamfointen Spruit flows alongside the road.
Filthy dirty and full of rubbish.
It is also deeper than it looks
I was told that a SAPS member, while on a similar raid,
had drowned in this area a few months ago


And our first arrests of the evening!
The officers from 24/7 found three guys sleeping under a bridge.
Yes, there was a lot of shouting and noise from the officers,
but no physical violence.
There was a sort of resignation on the part of the guys who were arrested.
It seemed as though they have been through this before.
They were not given an opportunity to take all their possessions with them,
for obvious reasons,
My hope is that when they are released and return,
their goods will still be there


Just in case, but not required...


I was told that the majority of these "vagrants"
work nearby, but because they get paid so little
they cannot afford to return to either Alex or Soweto.
In the case of one of these three, he had come all the way from Villiers
in the Free State to look for work.
Later at the Pirates Club, one of the arrestees
said that he earns R750.00  a week working on a building site.
As a result he cannot afford the taxi fare to and from his home in Soweto
on a daily basis. Hence, we found him sleeping rough.
Beggars often get more than R150.00 per day.



The final part of the evening...
Leaving yet ANOTHER abandoned building just off Jan Smuts Ave.
The Captain knew the back story to this one
and it seems to be mired in a trust dispute.


Just before I was dropped at home,
Chris and Etienne stopped to chat to this chap,
leaning against a lamp post in Linden.
Turns out he was very drunk and the slight incline that he had to "climb"
was taking its toll...
He was not impressed about being questioned,
but all ended with smiles.
Etienne mentioned to me that the fellow could easily become a target
himself...luckily he did not have to far to go to reach home.


This piece of Urban Art says it all...
The SAPS reservists together with the local security companies
are trying to be "Bringers of justice"...
But the battle is a hard one and given our justice system.
the odds are in favour of the thugs that freely roam our streets.
The six guys arrested were going to spend the night
 in the Parkview police cells.
After breakfast and a court appearance would probably be released.
The evening left me with mixed feelings.
I, like most tax paying South Africans, want my suburb to be safe.
But, when you find workers sleeping rough,
you have to admire the fact that they are trying to make a better life.
Will CEO's sleeping on a street for a night raise awareness?
Personally I don't think so.
I do want to doff my proverbial hat
 to the men that I went on patrol with last night.
Many thanks for trying to make my corner of Johannesburg
a safer place to live.
If you currently signed up to a security company,
get to know the guards and let them get to know you.
Makes for a better relationship.

  
And that is all I have to say...
Until the next time.

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