11 reasons why you should report a crime to the police

Durban — A private security company, Marshall Security, has given 11 reasons why people should report crimes to the police.

The company’s director, Tyron Powell, said that shaking off someone who was following you, someone swiping something from your bag, you witness a hit-and-run or you are the victim of a theft, trespassing and housebreaking – all these are crimes.

Powell said that those sorts of situations feel like par for the course these days, and we often write them off as exactly that. However, if your programming tells you, “that could have been worse”, making you grateful for the bad thing that just happened, it’s probably time to re-evaluate some things. Since a crime is a crime, it should be treated (and reported) as such, not just marked off as a minor inconvenience and relegated to braai-side story time.

He said it is a duty to report crimes.

“We know it feels like a hack heading to a police station to chat about the ‘mysterious case of the stolen cellphone’ and we can appreciate that the likelihood of you ever get that thing back is vanishingly small anyway, but here’s the thing – reporting crime reduces crime. It has a positive impact on the community and a negative impact on the bad guy,” Powell said.

Seven reasons why you do not think you should bother:

1. No faith in the system. It seems broken (this is a valid criticism, as it is not functioning at its optimum right now – but as citizens, we’re also not helping it do what it is designed to do, by withholding information).
2. The overall inconvenience of having to deal with governmental institutions.
3. If your bag or wallet has been stolen, you already have to waste time getting new bank cards (and new ID photos for your driver’s licence… now that’s traumatic). You don’t have time to do this, either.
4. You just want to forget about this experience and all your lost photos and move on.
5. You are fairly certain someone else saw it and will report it.
6. The nature of the crime – you think you’re wasting people’s time by reporting something small when they could and should be focused on bigger things.
7. No faith in the courts. And you may have to go there and testify, too (shudder).

Eleven reasons why Marshall Security thinks you should open a case:

1. Reporting crime helps the SAPS to create a database, which in turn assists them and private security companies in doing their jobs better and making more arrests.
2. A crime reported quickly could provide vital data such as fingerprints, or form a critical link to past or future incidents, aiding in building a case against a suspect and bringing them to justice. If not for you now, then for someone else in future.
3. By reporting vehicles and registration numbers, cars can be tracked down across the country for searches and intercepts. Licence plate recognition cameras are pretty cool like that.
4. It aids in investigations as the information supplied becomes intelligence.
5. Petty criminals often become repeat offenders, but more than this, their crimes often become worse, too. Help catch it before it escalates, because it has the potential to hurt somebody.
6. If it is not reported, crime statistics won’t be accurate, and this means that resources won’t be allocated as necessary – because in short, resources go where the need is determined to be greatest.
7. If more resources are deployed to your community or area because of the information you provided, it aids in making it safer overall.
8. It helps to point out hot spots and determine trends.
9. Reporting assists security role-players in seeing patterns of criminal activity and behaviour.
10. On a personal (and practical level), it’s going to help with your insurance claim.
11. If you are dealing with residual trauma from the incident, you can get the help and support you need.

“In short, if you have found yourself a victim of a crime, petty or otherwise, you may feel like things are a bit out of your control. The good news is that reporting assists you in taking that control back,” Powell said.

“So, share the details of your incident on your local community WhatsApp group and with your private security company, so that they are aware of suspicious vehicles, activities, incidents and the like. Then it’s time to head to your nearest police station, to get your case number.”

“We also feel like this may be a good time to remind you that if something bad goes down, you can call us too, because whether the crime is big or small, whether you are annoyed, embarrassed, or freaking out, we will come racing in your direction to help, that’s what we do. In case of anything,” Powell added.

Daily News