The City of Cape Town’s Safety and Security Directorate continues to assist and invest in Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) groups that play a key role in creating a safe environment in their areas. The handover of equipment to the Ward 90 Neighbourhood Watch in Khayelitsha last night is testament to the City’s commitment.
The equipment handed over last night was made possible by ward allocation funding. The City’s Safety and Security Directorate also provided assistance and support. The equipment included bicycles, spot lights, whistles, fire extinguishers and traffic cones. This will allow members to be mobile and act swiftly in response to community identified incidents. Visible patrolling acts as a deterrent to criminal activity and anti-social behaviour.
The establishment of a NHW group is the initiative of local communities. The Safety and Security Directorate aims to support those who have obtained formal accreditation through the Western Cape Provincial Department of Community Safety. The Directorate has entered into an agreement with the Department of Community Safety that supports the accreditation process.
‘We have seen an increase in the number of accredited groups in the past year with close to 250 NHW’s accredited within city boundaries. The increased budget for supporting these has enabled us to provide quality patrol equipment. This allowed us to procure bicycles, spotlights, radios, dash cameras, action cameras, first aid kits, fire extinguishers and other equipment,’ said the Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
‘A custom-made operational vest for neighbourhood watches was designed last year and we will be issuing the first of these shortly. This equipment will bolster the capacity of NHW’s to assist communities. Members have a vested interest to keep their community safe but also act as ambassadors for the City of Cape Town and are an example of responsible citizenship,’ added Alderman Smith.
The City also offers newly established NHW groups the “Broken Windows Theory training” which reiterates the importance of addressing anti-social behaviour at a very early stage before the process of social decay results in criminal activity. Early detection of the signs of anti-social behaviour is important. Additional training initiatives such as first aid and basic fire-fighting will be rolled out this year.
Ward Councillors contribute to this process by allocating ward funds for the procurement of NHW patrol equipment. During the current financial year, the directorate has delivered 90% of equipment to the beneficiaries. It is anticipated that the outstanding equipment will be received from suppliers in due course.
‘Although our training provides basic skills to NHW’s, we also provide members with technologically advanced equipment. We recently took delivery of state-of-the-art surveillance equipment in the form of Thermal Imaging Monocular. This high-end equipment enables members to spot suspects from a fairly good and safe distance in very low light conditions which makes it ideal for discreet patrolling and very often patrollers can spot the suspects. This initiative was led by the Ward Councillors of Tableview and Melkboss trand. We are investigating ways and means to make this specialised equipment available to more NHW’s’, said Alderman Smith.
Other services and support rendered to NHW’s includes Mass Information Sessions, which allows for feedback on challenges and successes. It’s also an opportunity to network with other community sectoral groups.
‘The Neighbourhood Watch programme is certainly growing and I would like to thank all members who sacrifice their time in keeping communities safe. The City’s enforcement agencies will continue to support and assist our NHW’s. It’s everyone’s responsibility to take a keen interest in the safety of their family and community, and by doing so, set a positive example for others to follow,’ added Alderman Smith.