Residents voluntarily unite to reduce crime in Hibberdene
As soon as calls for assistance are broadcast by a resident on the Whatsapp group, someone from the team responds immediately.
EUGENE Halliday (52) believes good people don’t deserve to live in the terror inflicted upon them by criminals.
With crime becoming a growing concern in South Coast suburbs, Mr Halliday begun the AZASOS neighbourhood Whatsapp group in Hibberdene some years ago.
It has since grown into a very active and successful group which has almost 200 members. And it’s growing.
It’s not surprising, since Hibberdene has become a hot spot for criminal activity.
Mr Halliday doesn’t believe that crime can be reduced by an individual but rather that the public’s apathy can be changed by giving people hope.
“If people work together we can reduce crime greatly. The more eyes the better,” he said.
He works closely with the community and the police to help safeguard Hibberdene. It’s fair to say he has played a role in cracking various cases.
Mr Halliday explained that AZASOS entails proactive responses, patrols, crime prevention and a reactive approach to crime.
As soon as calls for assistance are broadcast by a resident on the Whatsapp group, someone from his team responds immediately.
Sometimes, it might be that the dogs are barking furiously, or someone has just spotted a suspicious person lurking around. But, no matter what, Mr Halliday is ready to help.
A quote that has stuck with him comes from the former chief of the SA Defence Force, General Kat Liebenberg: “The criminal doesn’t fear the police, neither does he fear the justice system. The only solution is that the criminal fears his own victim.”
Mr Halliday said crime is not a “black or white thing”.
“There is a 70 percent chance that, if you are raped, it will be by someone you know,” he added.
“I live in reality. When I meet someone I’m cautious. But when I get to know them, I am even more cautious.”
“Those who have learned to run in darkness will never stumble in light,” he added.
It’s a powerful quote coming from an extensively trained military man who is “passionate about living”.
Although he sports big knuckles, Mr Halliday is a negotiator rather than a fighter.
He is also proud of the South African police service and believes the work it does is often not fully appreciated.
Mr Halliday trained in martial arts from an early age.
In his late teens, he joined the SAPS, and although he tried to escape the army, he ended up on the Military Experimental Groups-Programme, working across the border under ruthless men like Eugene de Kock, the former Vlakplaas commander.
During this time, Mr Halliday survived nine knife attacks and countless shootings. “I am still not very brave, that’s why I’m still alive.”
He later worked for the Pretoria Central detective branch, investigating murder, culpable homicide and unnatural death cases.
Today, he trains men and women at his own martial arts studio in Hibberdene.
He has conducted many self-defence seminars and also published an online book called ‘Beyond the Shadows’ which has had 100 000 downloads, mostly by the Americans and Russians.
Reader discretion is strongly advised, however.
Mr Halliday also works with many local organisations that assist underprivileged children.
“The future is not held in our children, but in what we teach them.”
“If we want peace for our world, we need to create peaceful children,” he said.
He explained that we need to educate our children so that they can question and debate conventions and cultures and solve problems.
He believes that the only solution to poverty, social problems and crime is to find common ground.
“A shrinking middle class and a very large lower income group spells trouble. It breeds crime and poverty,” he pointed out.
