The Wynberg East Neighbourhood Watch were joined by Cape Town Executive Mayor Dan Plato and Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith during their evening neighbourhood patrol. Ward 63 Cllr Monty Oliver joined the group. At the beginning of February, the Mayor committed to joining neighbourhood watches across the City to acknowledge the important crime prevention activities of these community-based groups and provide additional support where needed.
Patrol activities on Thursday evening centred around identifying problem buildings, drug dens, mask-wearing and establishing overall safety visibility.
Cape Town Executive Mayor Dan Plato expressed gratitude for the group of neighbourhood watch members who were passionate about protecting their surrounding community.
‘Here in Wynberg East we have a female-led NHW and it’s wonderful to see. This is another functional and well-organised NHW. The main purpose for them is to keep their families and communities safe and their hard work means so much for crime prevention and as a support to Law Enforcement and SAPS. They have the full backing of the City of Cape Town for the work they do in crime prevention,’ said Executive Mayor Dan Plato.
‘Visibility is key in preventing the occurrence of crimes and uplifting communities. Preventing crime needs all of us to play our role to effect positive change in communities and we appreciate the efforts of NHWs across the City,’ added Mayor Dan Plato.
Wynberg is also one of the 23 precincts in the City of Cape Town undergoing renewal with various initiatives underway in the area. Overall, the R200 million Mayoral Vehicle Service Acceleration (MVSA) project will see 80 capital and 200 operational projects implemented across the City to uplift and renew communities.
‘It’s interesting to see how this NHW has adapted. They have shown us a couple of problem buildings, which are a challenge in some communities. One of the properties seen here tonight is one of 44 properties that we have handed over for intervention. One hears that law enforcement is here doing their job; we have had good feedback from residents in the area that they are accessible and doing their best to support the community. I am glad that we have the additional support of volunteer law enforcement here to assist the NHW,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security Alderman JP Smith.
Residents were also engaged to encourage new membership to the Wynberg East Neighbourhood Watch.
‘A few years ago, I was motivated to join the NHW because of an increase in mugging and break-ins. Here in Wynberg, another challenge is drug dealing and visibility is a simple, but important, way to prevent crime. The beautiful part of belonging to a NHW is that you see the tangible results of your efforts to improve the community you live in. Heightened community involvement produces greater crime prevention results,’ said Wynberg East neighbourhood watch Chairperson, Salwa Beukes.
Over the past decade, neighbourhood watch groups have grown steadily and now thousands of members have become a key part of crime prevention in communities across Cape Town.
This is evident in the Law Enforcement Auxiliaries Programme, which allows registered neighbourhood watch patrollers to apply. Once trained and equipped, these voluntary Law Enforcement officers are then able to directly assist their NHWs with the authority of a peace officer, thus further enhancing the safety within their own communities.
Neighbourhood watch members can also become members of the Volunteer Law Enforcement Auxiliary Service (LEAS). In 2013, the Safety and Security Directorate launched LEAS, with prospective volunteers encouraged to first join their local neighbourhood watch before being recruited as a LEAS volunteer.
Although the Law Enforcement department’s primary role is by-law enforcement and addressing traffic violations, they are playing an increasingly larger role in joining the local communities to prevent crime.
The public can anonymously report any suspicious activity to the Public Emergency Communication Centre on 021 480 7700 from a cellphone, or 107 from a landline. Complaints of non-compliance with Covid-19 regulations can be directed to the City’s compliance hotline on 021 444 3582.