PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - The Plettenberg Bay Crime Prevention Association has a new member – the Kranshoek Rapid Response Unit, a force that has proved a major player in bringing crime to its knees in the area.
The PBCPA executive team said over the past year, a group of volunteers from Kranshoek, on the outskirts of Plettenberg Bay, have been patrolling the streets of the community "relentlessly".
"They have done so within the perimeters of the law and as prescribed in the Community Safety Act and Western Cape provincial constitution.
"They have also responded and assisted with incidents wherever it occurred in the greater Bitou area. Over the past year they have grown into a formidable response group under the guidance and assistance of their elected executive team and Plett Security Tactical Response squad," the association said in a statement.
PBCPA executive member Marius Venter said since the group started patrolling the streets of Kranshoek, crime has decreased dramatically. "We've seen crime on all fronts going down, including contact crimes and this can directly be attributed to the members keeping a close eye on what is happening in their community," Venter said.
He added one of the most recent incidents that proved their mettle was when they played a major role in an abalone bust in the Kranshoek area. Venter said the members kept a close eye on all suspicious activity along the coast and reported it to authorities which led to the arrest of a large group of alleged poachers and the discovery of illegally obtained abalone near the Kranshoek dam. "They were out there patrolling with their dogs and came across the stash buried near the dam," Venter said.
Several residents especially in the Airport Road area have remarked on how the volunteers have assisted in tracking down crime suspects, and how safe they feel these days.
The PBCPA team said the Kranshoek response members were working closely with the Kranshoek community police forum group, Kwanokuthula police, municipal law enforcement, Airport Road Farm Watch as well as other security and emergency partners. "They have assisted whenever their help was needed in the greater Bitou area."
They described the group as passionate men and women whose only intent is to improve the safety and security of their community. "Let us all assist these wonderful volunteers to do something within the boundaries of the law," it said.
Kranshoek Rapid Response Unit members were instrumental in a recent abalone bust in Plettenberg Bay. Photo: Supplied
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