PARKHILL resident, Eric van Rensburg, has been a prominent figure in the Durban North crime fighting scene for many years.
While the 61-year-old resident began his crime fighting career as a traditional member of the Mvoti Neighbourhood Watch (MNHW), he has recently been tackling crime through social media and has discovered success.
The semi-retired motor mechanic took crime fighting to social media in 2010 by creating a Facebook group for the MNHW, and has since created pages and groups for several other local neighbourhood watches.
“My daughter made the suggestion to use Facebook, and she was also instrumental in teaching me how to use this new technology. Soon I found that it facilitated communication tremendously and could alert hundreds of people instantaneously. Some people might argue that a computer can’t arrest someone, but I tend to disagree,” he said.
In 2011 the MNHW had recorded 24 to 26 crime incidences per month and by 2013 the amount had been reduced to two or three incidences per month.
“The aim of incorporating social media into our crime fighting initiatives was to interlink the different neighbourhood watches. Before we were all separate identities. Now we aid each other’s efforts and our messages can reach bigger audiences,” explained Van Rensburg.
The Facebook groups that Van Rensburg incorporates into his new age crime fighting initiatives include:
– Durban North Umhlanga CPF with 937 members
– Durban North Neighbours with 1 202 members
– Durban North Umhlanga Crisis Team with 2 004 members
– Greenwood Park Neighbourhood Watch with 453 members
– Claredon Neighbourhood Watch with 143 members
– Mvoti Neighbourhood Watch with 152 members
– Victoria Country Neighbourhood Watch with 189 members
– Umgeni Park Neighbourhood Watch with 107 members
– Glen Anil Neighbourhood Watch with 95 members
– Avoca Neighbourhood Watch with 438 members
– Phoenix Crime Watch with 2798 members
