Neighbourhood watch volunteers are a key part of making our communities safer as they play an important role in the prevention of crime. This week Cape Town Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, Alderman JP Smith, Ward Councillor Gerry Gordon, Metro Police and law enforcement joined the Residents Neighbourhood Watch, Thembelihle NW, Patrollers NW and New Horizons NW groups in Pelican Park. To bolster the efforts of these four NW groups, the City handed over gear such as flashlights, and Wellington boots.

'Keeping our City safe is a challenge which requires all of society to do their bit. Neighbourhood watch volunteers are a key part of making our communities safer as they play an important role in the prevention of crime. Earlier this week, I joined a patrol with four neighbourhood watch (NW) groups in the Pelican Park and New Horizons areas,' said Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.

During the patrol, they highlighted problem spaza shops within the community, which allegedly ignore proper trading hours, causing challenges within the community. At one of the spaza shops, a person was fined for selling cigarettes to a minor.

Additional budget to bolster NHWs across the metro

For the 2022/23 financial year, the City of Cape Town's NW Support Programme will provide these community organisations with more than R5 million in patrol support and crime prevention equipment such as torches, bicycles, body cameras, two-way radios, among other items.

The decision was also made to make a further R1 million available each year for the next five years. Currently, there are 312 accredited watches in the metropole.

'The Safety and Security Directorate has worked hard to empower these NWs. We are helping them with training and more budget. Many of their suggestions during patrols help us inform any updates to by-laws and give us insight into how we can assist them to continue to do this important volunteer work in their communities,' said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security Alderman JP Smith.

Further training initiatives

To be accredited as a NW, a properly constituted body must be formed of at least seven patrollers as members. The Directorate's Community Safety Liaison Officers can assist with this process.

The directorate is also able to facilitate any additional training that would be beneficial for these NWs so that they can assist the City with the management of disasters. This will include appropriate training by the Disaster Risk Management Centre and the Fire and Rescue Service, as well as setting up a protocol for implementation.

Source: City Of Cape Town