The Lavender Hill community came together at the Community Faith Based church in St Montague village on Thursday July 13 to discuss crime in the community.
Pastor Henry Naude opened the meeting with a prayer, while vice-chair Aysha Davids welcomed the speakers, among whom were Steenberg SAPS representatives Sergeant Grant Oaks and Colonel Jan Alexander.
Colonel Alexander said many crimes were on the increase and urged residents to trust police. “There are many issues in the community that need to be dealt with, but many in the community still do not stand up against these i
ssues.
“Wheninformedabout crimes, I can make arrangements for the matters to be dealt with and if there are more complicated issues, then I will make sure that proper procedures are followed.
“I wait patiently for the day when community members at large stand together with SAPS to make the community a better place to live in. I urge all to come forward and inform me about the happenings taking place within the community and I promise that your identity remains anonymous, “ said Colonel Alexander.
Ralph Bowers, founder of The Guardians of the National Treasure, a community sup-
port organisation, said processes needed to be put in place to monitor the pro-
gress of Lavender Hill’s children.
“Within Lavender Hill there is no structure. We are in need of a system to be put in place where we can monitor the now young child. This will help with seeing a child’s progression level.
“When this child gets to its teenage years we want to know why the child has turned into a gangster but when this child is six to eight years of age we do not ask what does this child need or lack?
“We expect the community to be healthy but we do not look at the start of the problem as the foundation of Lavender Hill is breaking down,” he added.
