Safer City is working with Bedfordview CPF, BSG, RAG, Blue Hawk Tactical and P&C Security Services to connect cameras, intelligence and coordinated response to protect our community.
At our safety awareness evening on 29 September, Yusuf Abramjee reinforced a clear message: tackling crime requires action, cooperation and accountability.
Our progress includes
- An existing network of 41 automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.
- Camera monitoring across five bridge locations, with further installations underway.
- 24/7 control-room monitoring donated by the Safer City Foundation.
- R222,390 raised towards the bridge camera project as at 25 September.
The proposed next phase will add 100 ANPR cameras, growing the network to 141 and extending coverage across Bedfordview’s streets.
Download Safer City GO to navigate around crime hotspots, receive safety alerts and access emergency assistance: https://onelink.to/scsgo
Safer City — Building Safer Communities.
The full public-meeting address delivered by Yusuf Abramjee in Bedfordview on 29 September 2026.
Taking Back Bedfordview — Yusuf Abramjee, Public Meeting Address
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
Thank you for inviting me to Bedfordview tonight.
And thank you for being here.
Because when people give up an evening to attend a public meeting about crime, it tells me something.
It tells me that people care.
It tells me that people are concerned.
And it tells me that people want answers.
But tonight, I don’t want this to be just another meeting where we talk about crime.
We have had enough meetings where people complain, become angry, make promises — and then go home.
Tonight must be about action.
Because crime is not an abstract issue.
It is not just a number on a spreadsheet.
Crime is a mother waiting for her child to come home.
Crime is a business owner locking the doors earlier because they are afraid.
Crime is an elderly person afraid to walk to the shops.
Crime is somebody sitting at a traffic light wondering whether the person approaching the vehicle is a criminal.
Crime is a family hearing gunshots outside their home.
And crime is a victim who may never feel safe again.
That is what we are talking about tonight.
Safety.
The right to live without fear.
The right to work without being extorted.
The right to drive home without being hijacked.
The right to walk in your community without constantly looking over your shoulder.
And the right of our children to grow up believing that South Africa belongs to them too.
THE BEDFORDVIEW NUMBERS
Let’s start with the facts.
The latest full-year crime figures available for the Bedfordview SAPS precinct, covering April 2025 to March 2026, recorded 2,313 reported crimes.
The figures show an overall decrease of about 4.4% compared with the previous year.
We must acknowledge that.
When crime goes down, we should say so.
But a reduction does not mean that the problem has disappeared.
There were still 256 aggravated robberies.
That included 113 carjackings.
There were 155 vehicle thefts.
There were 100 thefts from vehicles.
There were 349 commercial-crime cases.
There were 221 shoplifting cases.
There were 77 reported kidnapping cases.
And there were 12 murders.
Twelve murders.
Twelve people.
Twelve families.
Twelve funerals.
And potentially hundreds of people whose lives were changed forever.
Now, I want to make an important distinction.
These figures relate to the Bedfordview police precinct. They do not mean that every one of these crimes occurred in Bedfordview suburb itself.
Crime statistics are recorded by police precinct.
But the figures nevertheless tell us that this is an area requiring serious and sustained attention.
And we should also remember:
These are reported crimes.
Not every crime is necessarily reported.
So statistics are essential.
But statistics don’t tell the entire human story.
CARJACKINGS
Let’s talk about one of the biggest concerns.
Carjackings.
One hundred and thirteen reported carjackings in a year.
That’s more than two every week.
Think about that.
More than two people every week, on average, facing the terrifying experience of being robbed of their vehicles, often at gunpoint.
And this is where I want to speak directly to residents.
If somebody approaches you with a firearm and demands your vehicle:
Your life is more important than your car.
Don’t try to be a hero.
Don’t fight over the vehicle.
Don’t chase the criminals.
Don’t follow them after they drive away.
Get to safety.
Call the police.
Call your security company.
Get help.
Your car can be replaced.
Your cellphone can be replaced.
Your handbag can be replaced.
You cannot be replaced.
And I want families to discuss this.
Talk to your children.
Talk to your partners.
Talk to your parents.
Make sure everybody knows what to do.
Because when something happens, there isn’t always time to think.
Preparation can save lives.
VEHICLE THEFT AND SMASH-AND-GRABS
Then we have vehicle theft.
155 reported vehicle thefts.
And 100 thefts from vehicles.
A criminal doesn’t need ten minutes to steal something from your car.
Sometimes they need ten seconds.
A laptop.
A handbag.
A cellphone.
Shopping bags.
A backpack.
Anything visible can become an opportunity.
So let’s make the criminals’ job harder.
Don’t leave valuables visible.
Lock your vehicle.
Be aware when approaching intersections.
Avoid unnecessary cellphone use while driving.
Look around.
If you believe you are being followed, don’t drive home.
Go somewhere safe.
Go to a police station.
Go to a busy security-controlled location.
Call for assistance.
And again:
Don’t confront criminals.
But here’s the other side of this argument.
We cannot simply tell residents:
“Be more careful.”
That cannot be the entire crime-prevention strategy.
Residents have responsibilities.
But government has responsibilities too.
WHY ARE CRIMINALS TARGETING BEDFORDVIEW?
This is the question I want us to ask.
Why here?
Why Bedfordview?
Why these roads?
Why these businesses?
Why these intersections?
Why these residents?
Criminals look for opportunity.
They look for weak points.
They look for patterns.
They gather information.
And organised criminals can be extremely sophisticated.
That means our response must also be sophisticated.
We need intelligence-led policing.
We need better information sharing.
We need technology.
We need properly trained detectives.
And we need to identify the networks behind the crime.
FOLLOW THE MONEY
I’ve said this many times in my work covering crime:
Follow the money.
Don’t only arrest the person who is holding the firearm.
Find the person who supplied the firearm.
Find the person who organised the robbery.
Find the person who provided the information.
Find the person who transports the stolen vehicle.
Find the person who stores it.
Find the person who changes its identity.
Find the person who sells it.
Find the person who launders the money.
That is how you dismantle organised crime.
Because if you arrest one criminal and somebody else immediately replaces him, the organisation continues.
We need to go higher up the chain.
Follow the money.
Follow the networks.
Follow the people financing crime.
CCTV AND TECHNOLOGY
Now let’s talk about technology.
Bedfordview should be using every lawful technological tool available to improve public safety.
CCTV.
Licence-plate recognition.
Vehicle tracking.
Real-time alerts.
Integrated control rooms.
But let me make this clear:
A camera on its own doesn’t stop crime.
A camera that nobody monitors doesn’t help much.
A camera that records a robbery but whose footage cannot be retrieved quickly is of limited value.
And a camera that identifies a suspect vehicle but does not trigger a response is only part of the solution.
So I want to see a proper Bedfordview technology strategy.
Where are the cameras?
Who monitors them?
Who maintains them?
How quickly can footage be retrieved?
How is information shared with SAPS?
How many arrests have resulted from camera footage?
How many stolen vehicles have been recovered because of technology?
These are legitimate questions.
Residents are paying for security.
Residents are paying taxes.
Residents deserve results.
KIDNAPPING
Then there is kidnapping.
The latest precinct data recorded 77 kidnapping cases.
Kidnapping is no longer something people think only happens somewhere else.
It has become a serious national concern.
There are different types of kidnapping.
Different motives.
Different methods.
Different victims.
But the impact is devastating.
Families live through unimaginable fear.
Businesses can be targeted.
And organised criminal groups can use kidnapping as a highly profitable criminal enterprise.
So we need intelligence.
We need specialised investigations.
We need cooperation between SAPS and other law-enforcement agencies.
And we need communities to understand the risks.
Don’t share unnecessary personal information publicly.
Be careful about what you post online.
Be careful about routines.
Be careful about exposing where your children go to school, where you live and when your home is empty.
Security begins with awareness.
BUSINESS CRIME
Bedfordview is also a major commercial area.
And the crime statistics show 349 reported commercial-crime cases in the latest full year.
That is significant.
And business crime is changing.
It’s not just somebody walking into a shop with a firearm.
It’s fraud.
It’s cybercrime.
It’s fake invoices.
It’s banking scams.
It’s identity theft.
It’s insider crime.
It’s online impersonation.
It’s social engineering.
A criminal can sit thousands of kilometres away and steal from a company in Bedfordview.
So businesses need proper internal controls.
Staff need training.
Financial controls need to be strong.
Payment procedures need to be verified.
And suspicious transactions need to be reported.
SHOPLIFTING
There were also 221 reported shoplifting cases.
Some people dismiss shoplifting as a minor crime.
It isn’t.
For businesses, repeated theft increases costs.
Those costs eventually affect prices.
It affects jobs.
It affects investment.
And organised retail crime can be highly sophisticated.
Businesses need to work together.
Security companies need to share lawful intelligence.
And police need to investigate organised retail crime rather than treating every incident as an isolated event.
OUR ELDERLY RESIDENTS
Let’s also look after our elderly.
Criminals often target people they perceive to be vulnerable.
We need families to check on elderly parents.
Neighbours should look out for neighbours.
And people must be educated about scams.
If your elderly parent receives a suspicious call from someone claiming to be from a bank, don’t simply tell them:
“How could you fall for that?”
Help them.
These criminals are professional.
They manipulate people.
They create panic.
They create urgency.
They impersonate trusted organisations.
And they can be extremely convincing.
The victim is not the criminal.
The criminal is the criminal.
SAPS
Now I want to speak about SAPS.
I have spent many years working with police officers and reporting on policing.
I have seen extraordinary police work.
I have seen officers put themselves in danger to protect members of the public.
Police officers have been murdered in the line of duty.
So we must support those who serve honestly and professionally.
But support does not mean giving anybody a free pass.
We need accountability.
We need to ask:
How many operational police officers are available?
How many detectives?
How many vehicles?
How many vehicles are actually working?
What are the response times?
What are the biggest crime hotspots?
How many cases are being investigated?
How many suspects are arrested?
How many cases reach court?
And how many result in convictions?
These questions are not attacks on SAPS.
They are questions about public safety.
Residents have the right to ask them.
CORRUPTION
And then there is corruption.
We cannot have an honest conversation about organised crime without talking about corruption.
Criminals need information.
They need access.
They need protection.
They need documents.
They need connections.
And corruption can provide those things.
Every corrupt official who assists a criminal network strengthens that network.
Every honest police officer is undermined by corruption.
So we need zero tolerance for corruption.
Whether it is in SAPS.
Government.
Business.
Private security.
Or anywhere else.
If there is evidence of corruption, investigate it.
If there is evidence of criminality, prosecute it.
And if somebody is found guilty, there must be consequences.
PRIVATE SECURITY
Private security companies are an important part of Bedfordview’s safety environment.
But let’s be clear:
Private security cannot replace SAPS.
And SAPS cannot do everything alone.
We need cooperation.
Security companies see things.
They patrol streets.
They receive alerts.
They sometimes arrive at scenes before police.
They have cameras and control rooms.
That information can be valuable.
So let’s build proper communication structures.
But everything must operate within the law.
We cannot create private armies.
We cannot create vigilantes.
We cannot create parallel policing systems without accountability.
We need professional, lawful security.
NO VIGILANTISM
And let me stress this.
Do not take the law into your own hands.
If you catch a suspected criminal, call the police.
Don’t assault them.
Don’t punish them.
Don’t organise a mob.
Don’t post someone’s personal information online and accuse them without evidence.
We must fight crime without becoming criminals ourselves.
Justice must be delivered through the law.
And when the law isn’t working properly, we must demand that it works better.
YOUNG PEOPLE
Our young people are central to the long-term solution.
Crime prevention cannot begin only after somebody has committed a serious offence.
It has to start earlier.
We need schools.
Sport.
Mentorship.
Skills development.
Employment opportunities.
Entrepreneurship.
And strong families.
Criminal organisations can offer young people money and belonging.
We need to offer them something better.
A future.
A purpose.
A reason to believe that they can succeed without joining a criminal network.
THE NATIONAL CRIME CRISIS
And Bedfordview does not exist in isolation.
Look at what has happened across South Africa.
Mass shootings.
Kidnappings.
Hijackings.
Illegal firearms.
Illegal mining.
Drug trafficking.
Extortion.
Gender-based violence.
Organised crime.
Illicit trade.
These problems are interconnected.
The firearm used in a robbery may have moved through an illegal network.
The money from an illicit trade operation can finance other criminal activity.
A stolen vehicle can become part of another criminal operation.
Organised crime crosses boundaries.
Our response must do the same.
GBVF
We also cannot talk about public safety without talking about gender-based violence and femicide.
Every woman should be able to walk into her home and feel safe.
Every child should be protected.
Every victim should be taken seriously.
And every allegation must be investigated properly.
We need effective policing.
We need forensic capacity.
We need victim support.
We need functioning courts.
And we need communities that refuse to look away.
Silence is not a solution.
But neither is vigilantism.
We need lawful, professional intervention.
THE ILLICIT ECONOMY
And I want to spend a moment on illicit trade.
Because I have spent years highlighting this issue.
Illegal cigarettes.
Illegal alcohol.
Counterfeit goods.
Illegal mining.
Stolen vehicles.
Drugs.
These are not victimless crimes.
There is money involved.
There are criminal networks involved.
There can be corruption involved.
And there can be violence involved.
We must attack the entire criminal ecosystem.
Not just the person selling something on the street.
Who manufactures it?
Who imports it?
Who transports it?
Who distributes it?
Who finances it?
Who protects it?
Follow the money.
THE TEN-POINT BEDFORDVIEW PLAN
So, what do I want to see?
I want to propose ten practical priorities.
Number one: establish a Bedfordview crime task team.
SAPS.
Security companies.
Residents.
Businesses.
Municipality.
Relevant law-enforcement agencies.
Meet regularly.
Share information lawfully.
Set targets.
Measure results.
Number two: map the crime hotspots.
We need to know exactly where crimes are happening.
Number three: focus specifically on vehicle crime.
Carjackings.
Vehicle theft.
Theft from vehicles.
Number four: expand and integrate technology.
CCTV.
Licence-plate recognition.
Alerts.
Tracking.
Number five: strengthen detectives.
Arrests are important.
But cases must be built properly.
Number six: target organised crime.
Don’t just arrest foot soldiers.
Go after the networks.
Number seven: follow the money.
Investigate criminal assets and financial flows.
Number eight: strengthen business crime prevention.
Especially fraud and cybercrime.
Number nine: protect vulnerable residents.
Especially elderly people.
Number ten: publish progress.
Every three months, come back to the community.
Tell residents:
What improved?
What didn’t?
How many arrests?
How many cases solved?
What resources were added?
What remains outstanding?
Measure performance.
QUESTIONS FOR SAPS AND GOVERNMENT
And tonight, I want answers.
How many operational police officers are serving this precinct?
How many detectives?
How many vehicles?
How many vehicles are operational?
What is the average response time?
What are the biggest crime hotspots?
How many carjackings have been solved?
How many stolen vehicles have been recovered?
How many kidnapping cases resulted in arrests?
How many organised-crime investigations are underway?
What additional resources are needed?
And when will residents receive an update?
These are reasonable questions.
And I hope tonight is not the end of the conversation.
I hope it is the beginning.
WHAT RESIDENTS CAN DO TONIGHT
But let me also challenge residents.
Don’t leave this meeting saying:
“Government must fix crime.”
Yes, government has a huge responsibility.
But we have responsibilities too.
Know your neighbours.
Join your community safety structures.
Report crime.
Report suspicious activity.
Share verified information.
Don’t spread rumours.
Don’t confront criminals.
Don’t become vigilantes.
Look after elderly residents.
Teach children about safety.
Secure your homes.
Secure your businesses.
And support victims.
DON’T NORMALISE CRIME
Ladies and gentlemen,
We must stop saying:
“That’s just South Africa.”
No.
It shouldn’t be.
We must stop saying:
“Nothing will change.”
Something can change.
But change requires pressure.
It requires resources.
It requires leadership.
It requires accountability.
And it requires citizens who refuse to give up.
I have spent many years reporting on crime.
I have stood at crime scenes.
I have spoken to victims.
I have seen families destroyed.
But I have also seen communities fight back.
I have seen residents organise.
I have seen businesses contribute.
I have seen police officers do extraordinary work.
And I have seen ordinary people make a difference.
That gives me hope.
THE FINAL MESSAGE
So let me finish with this.
I don’t want a frightened Bedfordview.
I want a vigilant Bedfordview.
I don’t want an angry Bedfordview.
I want an organised Bedfordview.
I don’t want residents sitting behind locked gates believing they are powerless.
I want residents working together.
I don’t want businesses paying criminals.
I want businesses reporting extortion and criminality.
I don’t want communities to remain silent.
I want communities to speak up — responsibly and safely.
And I don’t want government to simply make promises.
I want delivery.
The criminals are organised.
We must be organised.
Criminals communicate.
We must communicate.
Criminals follow money.
Law enforcement must follow the money.
Criminals exploit weaknesses.
We must close those weaknesses.
And criminals depend on fear.
We must not allow fear to control our communities.
We must be vigilant.
We must be responsible.
We must support honest police officers.
We must hold institutions accountable.
And we must work together.
Because Bedfordview belongs to its residents.
Our streets belong to the community.
Our businesses belong to the community.
Our public spaces belong to the community.
And our children deserve to grow up without fear.
So tonight, let’s make a commitment.
We will not be silent.
We will not be passive.
We will not accept crime as normal.
We will report.
We will organise.
We will cooperate.
We will demand accountability.
And we will keep fighting.
Because this is not only about Bedfordview.
It is about the South Africa we want to live in.
A South Africa where criminals fear the law —
not where law-abiding citizens fear criminals.
It is a war against crime.
And we must win it.
Thank you