When Colonel Andre van Wyk took office as station commander at Grassy Park police station on May 1, he intended to approach his new job at “one of the top 31 gang stations identified in the Western Cape, as an opportunity rather than a challenge.”
Colonel van Wyk has a total of 37 years of police service under his belt.
He worked at Delft police station for 22 years before he moved to Grassy Park. He has also served at Elsies River police station, a four-year term in Johannesburg and as acting station commander at Kuils River.
Delft and Elsies River police stations also fall under the top 31 stations dealing with gang violence.
“The dynamics (at Grassy Park) might be a little bit different than my previous station but the concept of gangsterism is the same, not only in the Western Cape but all over the world,” said Colonel Van Wyk.
He said gangsterism comprises three things: drugs, money and turf.
“You get the gangster hierarchy and chain of command and they exist because of the drug opportunity and they are fighting for turf and how they can shift the drugs around in the area.”
Although Colonel Van Wyk said he has not worked in the southern suburbs before, he has done research and noted that the Grassy Park precinct’s gang violence is “seasonal, not every day”.
“Something sparks (the violence) but the motive is almost always to expand their territory. So, it is important that we have to make sure we get the right information of where the hotspots are.”
Colonel Van Wyk said although the police may have a plan of action to deal with gangsterism, “the approach should come from the community”.
“However, we are obligated, as an organisation (police station), to work with the community in crime prevention.”
Colonel Van Wyk said: “I’m not afraid to have dialogue with gangsters but we are not friends. I don’t believe they deserve the same rights, because of their drug activities.
“There is a reason why I am wearing the blue uniform and as much as I treat people with dignity and respect, I cannot condone their wrong choices that go against the wellbeing of individuals.”
He said the gang leader’s modus operandi is to get more people addicted to drugs. “We have drug awareness programmes at schools to make the youth aware, as the gangs use youth to do their shootings, be their couriers or money men, because gang leaders know that juveniles, if caught, are treated differently in court,” said Colonel Van Wyk.
Gangster activities, he said, include committing crime to get bail money for their fellow gang members and to feed their drug habits. “It is sad that Western Cape has the fewest drug rehabilitation centres (of the provinces),” said Colonel Van Wyk.
When asked if a gangster should approach him and confess that he would like to reform, Colonel Van Wyk said: “If a gangster comes to us to say he wants to reform, I will tell him to please relocate as it all comes down to the choices you make and you should prevent issues like that.”
Colonel Van Wyk said he has a few mottos but the first one he would highlight was used to address staff.
“There is a tendency in the modern generation (where) a lot of things are said but not done – so stop dreaming and start doing.
“My second motto is to have emotional intelligence: Encourage yourself to be the best version of yourself and work in a way that you can go to bed with peace of mind. Imagine we are all negative? I asked the crime prevention guys, ‘what is your plan for today?’ You can’t walk around without any plan. Be decisive.”
Colonel Van Wyk is planning to embark on a spiritual crime prevention initiative with religious leaders to form a forum and present awareness programmes.
He said the victim support room plays an integral part of crime investigation. “If victims don’t want to open cases they can still be our eyes and ears that will lead us to further investigation in cases.”
Colonel Van Wyk said he will be in touch with the different organisations such as NPOs and NGOs and that he had already met the police forum, which he thought was well organised.
