Fighting flagrant vagrants
Crimefighters have decided to regularly sweep vagrant hotspot areas. The matter of individuals taking up residence along with the town’s coastal areas and abandoned buildings has been a thorn in the side of crime fighters for several years.
The vagrants not only pose a security risk and a health risk for those visiting the areas, they also create a bad impression with visitors and tourists.
“We are very concerned about the number of vagrants and bush sleepers that are in our town at the moment,” said Lisa Nagel of the neighbourhood watch group, Plett.Watch.
In an attempt to deal with the situation, Nagel said they would be organising sweeps of these areas and urged residents to help by informing volunteers of related problems they are experiencing.
“We need to know where their hiding places, sleeping spaces etc. are. The more people involved, the easier and quicker it will be,” Nagel said. “There will be no danger involved and if we show that enough people are against it, the vagrants may decide to move away from Plett.”
She previously said that complaints are usually relayed to the relevant authorities and as a rule vagrants are removed from the area, but they return within hours.
She explained there is very little authorities can do within the ambit of the law to keep vagrants off the beaches. Only if they commit a crime and a case is opened, can police act.
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