Reiger Parks residents scrambling for new ways to tackle gang violence

Frustrated Reiger Park residents, east of Johannesburg, are desperately seeking intervention to tackle the scourge of gang violence in their community

On Tuesday, senior officials within the Police Ministry engaged communities battling gang- related violence, including the notorious Westbury and Reiger Park.

The fact-finding mission comes after both communities were recently rocked by mass shootings that claimed lives, including teenagers.

To find solutions and end organised crime, the acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia and other police top brass visited the two communities affected by the same issue

Some residents in Westbury and Reiger Park claimed that gang violence is a generational issue in the areas.

Frustrated Reiger Park resident Licinda Schubert.

"They can't make an assumption that it's not that bad, because it hasn't been in the news. And something like this, catastrophic and sad and tragic has to happen for this kind of reaction to be, you know, for us to get it now only.

Schubert added that the responsibility to find solutions needs to be a joint effort from the community and law enforcement.

ALSO READ:

- Reiger Park mass shooting: Residents sceptical cops will arrest perpetrators

- Reiger Park residents accuse families of shielding perpetrators of deadly drive-by shootings

- Families of Reiger Park shooting victims fear further victimisation

- Ekurhuleni's Dlabathi calls Reiger Park crime 'uncontrollable' after 6 people shot dead

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