A neighbourhood watch group is enjoying success after partnering with local armed response companies. During early 2017 the area was experiencing a high rate of crime, with no signs of slowing down. This prompted two residents to band together and initiate a WhatsApp group, specifically to report and highlight criminal activity in the area.
“Not only did this create an annoying forum for arbitrarily chat, but it more importantly provided a forum that highlighted the extent of the crime in the area which had previously gone unnoticed. This essentially made the group sit up and take note, where previously the mood was one of apathy towards, not only our crime, but also towards the need to initiate a more formal watch group,” said chairman Norman Lavery.
As more and more members became victims of crime, the WhatsApp group gained momentum, with members wanting to play a more active role. “This interest enabled us to formally establish and announce ourselves to SAPS as the Warner Beach South Neighbourhood Watch Group and in September 2018 our inaugural general meeting was held and a committee formed.”
In close collaboration with SAPS, armed response companies, the CCPO and other established watch group’s experiences, the committee began implementing crime prevention measures. “Our committee’s approach was simple – prevent crime before it occurred and we needed to ensure that we did everything in our power to make this happen.
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“Fortunately for us, we have had an excellent support network assisting us since our inception. ET Rapid Response, and its shared control room with the CCPO, has been an essential part of our crime prevention initiative. ET assists us with our group’s visibility and is responsible for our camera surveillance network. To date, we have some 35 cameras, covering all entry and exit points. ET is never hesitant to assist us with any aspect of our crime prevention efforts.”
The other support network the group relies heavily on is the CCPO. Its shared control room and operational radios have proved vital to reducing reaction times throughout the area and the community at large, and it is also the group’s first responders.
“Its support in crime prevention operations, in both our neighbourhood as well as the community, has been invaluable. Our committee knows only too well the amount of effort it takes to self-fund a crime prevention group and know first-hand the free riders who seem happy to jump on the back of others while enjoying the same benefits of participating members.
“Hence, it is for this reason that our committee has made it mandatory that all our group members are first and foremost CCPO members. However, without doubt, our biggest asset is our patrol and surveillance group. These men and woman, young and not so young, go about their duties with amazing enthusiasm and commitment, and it is due to them that we are living in a near crime-free neighbourhood today, while around us the crime continues.
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“As with all community watch groups, we are reliant solely on our active members. To become more successful at fighting crime, we need to grow, adding a road at a time and a neighbourhood at a time. The authorities simply do not have the resources and, as such, it is the responsibility of these communities to become more involved in actively assisting in the fight against crime. If you see a watch group in your area, contact them, join them and take up an active role in preventing crime in your neighbourhood – if not for you, than for your family’s sake.”
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