The Vorna Valley Residents Association held their 2018/19 AGM on 21 August at the Swiss Club in Midrand.
The meeting highlighted the finances of the association and the chairperson’s report as well as the introduction of new association committee members Varushka Singh, Paul Veltman and Mark Straw.
Carol Barnes and Paul Mann had resigned from the committee.
One of the discussed topics was the proposed installation of licence plate recognition cameras in the suburb. Committee member Hein de Kock explained how the system would work.
He said when a car passed in front of the camera, it read the number plate and if the vehicle’s registration number was listed on the police database, it would generate an alert that the Community Policing Forum and police could pick up.
De Kock added that there had been delays in implementing the system due to procedures that had to be followed but the equipment had been bought.
After the meeting, Midrand Reporter approached resident Benita Young to share her thoughts on the meeting, “the meeting was great.
“The fact that people from the area come together to discuss the issues that are of importance to them is welcomed… a warm and healthy discussion is great.”
Regarding the installation of the cameras, Young was not convinced.
She said the intention was good but the way the information provided was used made her question them being installed in Vorna Valley.
“Worldwide there are examples of how the information gets misused to target people or figure out loopholes in the systems, so I am not comfortable at all for anybody to know about my whereabouts or my movements,” she added.
“I think SAPS needs to have a bigger presence within the area. I think they are totally underrepresented within Midrand and that is maybe due to the growth that was not planned for, but I do think the police service should really be more widely represented in the area.”
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