THESE residents say they are tired of crime and they will clean up crime in their street with sjamboks.
They said Peach Street in Toekomsrus, Rand West City, had become a hot spot for drugs and robberies.
Last week they started a community patrol.
During the week, unemployed residents older than 18 patrol the area while people with jobs take the weekend patrol.
They told the SunTeam they had been dealing with crime for years but there had been an increase recently and they were determined to turn the tide.
Jake Come (19) said he was most annoyed by drug users who sometimes walked in the street naked.
“It breaks my heart to see the youth give their lives to drugs when they could be job hunting or starting businesses.
“All they do is smoke drugs and they do not care who sees them,” he said.
Elizabeth Kleynhans (56) said she was afraid of going to the shops at night.
“After six I do not leave my house. Even during the day, I lock my doors when it becomes too quiet,” she said.
Hermina Willemse (59) said she was afraid of sending her grandchildren to the shops.
“These patrols are needed because the amount of crime in this place has spiralled out of control.
“I really hope these thugs and drug dealers will see this as a warning and take their criminal activities somewhere else,” she said.
Nicholas Kleinbooi (45) said they were determined to protect children from drug use.
“We are already seeing teenagers using drugs and we are trying to stop the younger generation from following in their footsteps,” he said.
