COP launches night-time hotline
Local community crime organisation makes move to improve security.
THE Bluff’s Community Orientated Policing (COP) launched a night-time one-stop emergency hotline last week in a bid to improve safety and security.
With the help of United Force Guarding (UFG), Blue Security and Rescue Care, COP initiated its Bluff Emergency, Safety and Security Centre (BESS) last week with the aim of reducing reaction times and ensuring a controlled overview of crisis situations.
Operations began on 1 November at 7pm and the call centre is operational every day from 7pm to 7am.
COP manager, Rake Jeeves insists the centre is not a replacement for the police emergency phone numbers, but an additional tool available to Bluffites.
“In an emergency, phone the police then phone the BESS. The controllers will get assistance from whichever emergency service is necessary, be it SAPS, Metro Police, COP, Blue Security, UFG, fire or Rescue Care medical response,” said Jeeves.
“This is something I have been planning for years because it will make reaction times faster and make the Bluff safer.”
BESS is the first part of COP’s plans to create a unit of skilled, full-time officers. If all goes well with the call centre, the hope is to extend it to a 24-hour operation.
“COP is going extremely well with the various units of volunteers patrolling the suburb in cars, motorbikes and on foot and our reaction unit has made numerous arrests.
We already have the COP alerts emergency groups which have been a massive help in fighting crime and led to arrests but now we are taking it one step further and that’s to have an actual call centre the public can phone.”
In an emergency between 7pm and 7am, call BESS on 076-013-0249. To join the COP emergency alerts WhatsApp group SMS or WhatsApp your name and house address to the same number.
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