Some Alex residents have joined the police to help rid their township of crime, which is destroying the nation.
This through a community alarm system called Memeza (Shoutout) which was launched by the Provincial Police Commissioner Major General Nicholas Sithole at the Alexandra Police Station.
The system, developed by NPO Memeza Community Safety Organisation, includes an alarm with lights which come on and flash when there is a home intrusion. This activates a very loud beeper. The beeper can also be carried anywhere and will warn the public of any criminal activity. Fifty residents received the gadgets for piloting at their homes.
Read: Motorist assaults and bribes policeman
Sithole said the system, sponsored by South African Breweries, was one of many initiatives of the community and police’s anti-crime partnership, such as the community policing forum. “Alex is fraught with drug dealers and addicts, household and business robberies, hijackings by the youth using illegal guns, assaults, domestic violence, rapes of both women and young girls at homes and also in taxis on their way to and from work and school, and murders of residents coming from taverns, mostly late at night,” he said.
The beneficiaries of the pilot were strategically selected among residents living in crime hotspots. It will link them with the police and the Emergency Management Services to enable quicker response times by the police, fire and ambulance services when the system is triggered.
Sithole urged other residents to join the initiative and said the gadget didn’t cost much and would help them to secure their areas. He added that with the festive season approaching, many homes, shops and pedestrians would become robbery victims. Meanwhile, he urged residents to also use whistles to alert each other of any crime.
Read: ‘Police on Wits campuses have traumatised us’
Station Commander Colonel Nhluvuko Zondi lauded the initiative, saying it will bring back uBuntu between neighbours and improve residents’ relationship with the community policing forum and the police. “Making Alex crime-free should start with the community making it a collective responsibility to care for each other and take charge of their neighbourhood,” she said.
Councillor Ambe Maseko urged residents to embrace the initiative which she said should be introduced in all the township’s wards through ward committee meetings. “The police can’t secure all homes and they let us be their eyes and ears through the initiative,” Maseko said. She added that Memeza will also bring back friendship when everyone comes together against crime.
Maruping Phuting, of the brewery, said they will sponsor 250 more gadgets to help create a safer environment in the township. “With our main product, alcohol, [being] associated with crime, it’s our responsibility to also contribute to curbing the negatives deriving from alcohol abuse,” he said, adding that their sponsorship included training locals to be installers of the alarm system, which created employment.
Details: Maruping Phuting 082 921 7660.
Add us on Whatsapp for the latest news by adding 079 4395 345 to your contact list and just send your name to us so we can save your number. Click here to find out more about our Whatsapp policy.
