VIOLENT crime continues to escalate at an alarming rate in Durban and various parts of KwaZulu-Natal, leaving residents in doubt whether police have the capacity or conviction to make a difference.

Murder, rape, cash-in-transits heists and robberies have become regular occurrences, with places like Inanda, KwaMashu, and Chatsworth in Durban regarded as crime hot-spots.

The residents of Inanda, north of Durban, recently embarked on a march in Amaoti, which drew a huge response from the community, where demanded the army presence in their neighbourhoods.

This after seven people were gunned down in two days in Inanda.

The community lamented the police's perceived failure to curb crime as more people were killed, with the notorious West Gang being blamed for some of the brazen murders. The gang's members are predominantly teenagers, with a penchant for brandishing their guns on social media platforms and bragging about their allegiance to the notorious group.

A community policing forum member from Inanda, Mthokozisi Mkhize, told the Daily News that people slept “with one eye open” amid the rise of heinous crimes in Inanda.

“It is not safe in our neighbourhood. We want the police to be more visible and to restore order so that residents can feel safe,” said Mkhize.

On Sunday, four suspected extortionists were gunned down during a shoot-out with police on Dumisani Makhaye Drive.

Police claimed later that the suspects were believed to be behind a string of extortion matters.

The bodies were also piling up in the now run-down Silverglen Nature Reserve in Chatsworth. At least seven bodies of unknown people were dumped there at this once popular recreational site, since the beginning of the year.

The grisly finds sent shockwaves through the community of Silverglen, located in the south of Durban, also appealed for police interventions.

Ricky Naicker, who has been at the front of the calls for help, told the Daily News that the community feared the trend of dumping of bodies near the reserve would continue unabated if the authorities refused to act.

The Shallcross community, a short distance away from Silverglen, was in the clutches of copper-targeting criminals recently.

According to community activist Marcus Richards, Shallcross had 30 burglaries incidents within the space of a week, which was great cause, especially for elderly residents.

Richards was a victim of three botched burglaries, with the latest one being in the early hours of Tuesday.

“Three armed guys entered my house on Tuesday, but they fled when I was woken. We are under siege here (Shallcross).”

The stealing of motor vehicles was also rife in their neighbourhood, said Richards.

In a bid to tackle the scourge, Richards said a community meeting was scheduled for tomorrow.

“We called this meeting because we want to rid our area of crime,” saidd Richards.

Some residents of Molweni, west of Durban, were startled when they discovered body of an elderly woman, who was believed to be mentally unstable.

The 53-year-old brother of the elderly woman was arrested.

KZN is also hot-bed for cash-in-transit heists, which included the February 2 incident, which brought the busy N2 to a complete halt.

One person died, and others were injured while scurrying for cover after a gun battle ensued between the criminals and police.

Several armed men, believed to be members of a cash-in-transit syndicate allegedly robbed security officers who were carrying cash to their armoured vehicle parked on Todd Street in Verulam on February15.

Umlazi, in the south of Durban, has also had its share of violent crimes, with a series of gunfights between police and suspected criminals.

Muzi Shezi, a community policing forum leader, said: “While the police are doing their jobs, criminals are just not budging. We have witnessed a series of gunfights between police and criminals."

He appealed to the criminals to change their ways "so that we all help in rebuilding our beloved township.”

When Thamsanqa Ntuli took over as premier last year, he immediately incorporated the community safety and liaison office into his office, the strongest indication that he was waging a war against rampant crime.

However, a crime expert and author, Mary de Haas, “doubts” this made much difference.

“I doubt whether it makes much difference whether the police fall under the premier or somebody else. The surging crime was because there was not enough being done.”

She said the police management was "dysfunctional" from the national level down to provincial structures.

Questions were sent to the premier’s office and provincial police. However, there was no response from either by the time of publication.

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Are cops failing to tame brazen criminals in KZN?