Hillshaven neighbourhood watch needs you
‘Crime has gone down tremendously since we started’ – Neighbourhood Watch.
The Hillshaven Neighbourhood Watch is calling all residents to join them in keeping crime under control.
The neighbourhood watch has only been established since April of this year and has been going from strength to strength. They are both involved with the Community Policing Forum (CPF) and Hillshaven Homeowners Association.
The watch is currently in the process of getting neighbourhood watch house number boards for homes in the areas.
The most prevalent crime in the area according to the watch is housebreaking which they said has not happened yet since their inception.
Crime has gone down tremendously. The last housebreaking we has was on the 16th of April,” Ben Schoombie, chairperson of the patrol group told the Herald.
Ben said the reason the watch was formed was due to a sudden wave of crime during the end of last year. After the formation of the watch, Ben told the Herald that police response has improved and that they have received a substantial amount of support from Boz Security which is the dominant security company in the area.
The company also donated four radios to the watch to increase communication.
Apart from the radios, the watch has WhatsApp groups that are also connected to the Hillshaven Home Owners Association of which every resident is a member.
The biggest challenge the watch faces is the little numbers they have to work with. Although they say the handful of people who have joined the watch have made a big difference, larger numbers would make an even bigger impact on crime.
Ultimately, the watch would like more members of the community to get involved with curbing crime in the area.
We are a handful of people who patrol and we don’t just watch out for our buddies, we look after the entire community and we would like more people to get involved,” Schoombie said.
To become a member, residents should contact any one of the watch members below:
• Ben Schoombie on 083 600 6142
• Manie Reinders on 073 500 5544
• Theo Stoltz on 084 678 0508
