Linden car guards empowered
LINDEN – The Linden Community Policing Forum has embarked on a campaign to formalise the operations of car guards and the way they secure vehicles.
After concerns were raised over the security of vehicles in the Linden CBD, the Linden Community Policing Forum (CPF) has embarked on a campaign to formalise the operations of car guards and the way that they secure vehicles.
Linden car guards were taken through a process of police clearance on 22 May and registered with uKheshe, a company that seeks to provide a simple solution to make paying car guards easier.
Linden CPF Sector 2 chairperson Annalise Tichaner said, “The idea is to form a link between the police, community, businesses and the car guards.
“The most important problem that we are facing is that we are losing a lot of cars in the Linden CBD, and crime is always the first thing to tarnish the reputation of an area. We met with businesses in the area and they are very on board to try to find a solution to make it work.”
Linden Police spokesperson Constable Takalani Matumba said, “The issue of car theft, theft from motor vehicles and general theft is still a problem facing the Linden area. As the Linden police, we applaud this initiative and welcome working with car guards to make the area safer.”
Meeting with security companies, the forum took their suggestion to work with the people that they already have on hand, car guards in particular. Tichaner said, “uKheshe has already been implemented in other areas, such as Parkhurst. The idea is that car guards get issued with an identity card and an uKheshe bib, and go through the process of police clearance. By joining the group, they feel more like a team that has backup from the SAPS and security companies.
“Most people don’t carry cash on them anymore, so one of the biggest issues the car guards are facing is they are not getting tips anymore, and this system helps to fund them in a cashless way.”
The guards will be taught skills over the next few weeks to ensure that they can do their work correctly. “This will happen on an ongoing basis. Security companies and the police are on board to team up with them to provide a wealth of training to help them protect themselves and learn proper reporting procedures,” Tichaner said.
Geoff Shute of the Linden CPF business forum added, “The guys on the street always have a lot of information, but they have never had a channel of communication like this before. From the business side, a shop and restaurant owners, we encourage our patrons to support our car guards in the uKheshe bibs and the wonderful work that they do. We hope that the team grows over time and that Linden becomes a safer community.
“We encourage visitors to the Linden CBD to only trust and tip car guards who are wearing the uKheshe bib. We often have random individuals who may be threatening or bring a criminal element when claiming that they are watching your car. These people should not be trusted.”
Payments are made through the uKheshe app with any Mastercard-enabled credit or debit card.
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