Fed up with crime, Gerdview resident Ronel Ludick has decided to implement a safety whistle campaign.
The campaign was launched among the children and parents on the community at Meppen Park, in Gerdview, last Friday.
Ludick decided it is time to put an end to the crime on the streets and the fear that families are sitting with.
“There were times when you could send your 12-year-old child to the shop to buy bread and milk, but now children are kept cooped up in their own homes because parents are scared of the crime in the streets,” said Ludick.
Ludick’s son, Daniel, who is now 14 years old, was robbed of his cellphone and threatened with a knife in Meppen Park, in November 2017.
“My son was traumatised and kept on saying that he should have fought back,” said Ludick.
Hearing about this and seeing what her son had gone through was the push that encouraged her to start thinking of ways to stop the crime happening on the streets, especially to children.
“Often on Facebook you hear reports of children being robbed and attacked on the streets and it just keeps on getting worse.”
Ludick also mentioned that people attack parents on social media by saying that they should not be sending their children to the shop, but how can they live like this?
This is why she decided the safety whistle would be a great idea for children because the noise alone will attract attention and help will hopefully be on its way.
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Ludick stated that when children have the whistle, it may become a problem as they might use the whistle as a toy.
She spoke to some residents in the community and they expressed concern that children are going to abuse the use of the whistle.
Ludick shared some useful tips with the children and parents to teach them not only about how and when to use the whistle, but also safety tips to consider while walking in the streets.
The tips are:
• Do not walk with your cellphone visible.
• Do not have your earphones in your ears because it will show a possible attacker that you are listening to music on a valuable device.
• Do not carry your purse/wallet in visible sight, rather keep it hidden.
• Walk on the side of the road where oncoming traffic is coming towards you and not behind you.
Ludick did a market day at The Local Choice Lily Pharmacy, in Homestead, to raise money for the first batch of whistles.
“We managed to buy over 80 whistles,” she said.
This is only a taste of what Ludick plans to do with the safety whistles.
She also intends to go to all the schools in the area to hand out safety whistles, as well as educate children about how to be more safety conscious when walking in the streets.
“I ask all members of the community to be attentive when they hear the whistles and to take the necessary action,” said Ludick.
Local businesses that would like to participate or sponsor the whistles can contact Ludick on 072 376 7787.
Companies can get involved with the initiative by sponsoring whistles which could have their branding printed on them.
“The more whistles we have, the more we can empower our children,” said Ludick.
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