Sun Cell celebrates first decade of service
The humble crime fighting initiative that was started in Sunningdale has grown from strength to strength in the last ten years.
“THE amount of crimes that we have prevented is un-quantifiable,” said Craig Adendorff, co-founder of Sun Cell Watch, on the eve of its 10th anniversary.
Craig and his wife, Sharon, launched the watch in November of 2004, after crime spiked dramatically in the area. “We were tired of hearing about the crimes after they had already happened and wanted to find a way to prevent crime,” explained Craig.
The duo stressed that the successful crime prevention initiative is revolutionary to the traditional neighbourhood watches. “Essentially it operates as a network and there is a lot of emphasis on prevention. The residents who are part of the watch act as the eyes and ears. Once they detect anything suspicious they send a message to me. I alert authorities and the broadcast the report to the rest of the community with real time SMS alerts. It is therefore a community driven project,” he said.
The initiative eliminates the need for ordinary citizens to put their lives at risk, and tearing themselves away from their families to patrol their communities, said Craig.
Since its inception the watch has grown exponentially, as the former employees in the banking industry, even disseminate reports to groups in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
With the growth of the project the duo have had to retire, and are now relying on donations to maintain and upgrade their system. “We have battled to manage night time alerts. I don’t know how many nights I sat working into the early hours. But it has been well worth it,” he said.
To join Sun Cell Watch SMS ‘Join’ to 082 568 6535.
