Kensington forum takes to social media
The Kensington Sector Security Forum (KSSF) has taken to social media to keep in touch with residents and allow them to keep in touch with each other.
The forum is using Facebook, WhatsApp and applications such as Cnectd to inform residents about security risks and crime prevention measures in Kensington and the surrounding areas.
“Applications such as Facebook, Whatsapp and Cnectd allow us to alert communities to security concerns, news and trends quickly so that we can be informed about security risks timeously and respond to them as a community. Through these communication technologies, the KSSF is gathering mass as more and more Kensington residents are being reached every month,” said the chairperson, Mr Bill Farquharson.
The use of social media in local suburbs has increased in recent years and has proven to be a success in keeping residents safer and in touch with each other. Social media is being used as a means of communication by sector forums in Bruma, Cyrildene, Bez Valley and the Western Kensington Residents’ Association.
Mr Farquharson said he, the vice-chairperson Mr Cliff Hutton and the secretary Mr Keith Daniels, want to work with all stakeholders in Kensington to facilitate communication and co-operation wherever security is a concern.
This includes Kensington residents, businesses, schools, public institutions, street committees, the SAPS, independent security companies and street guards.
The forum is also conducting an audit of the street committees that are active in Kensington to create a network and to facilitate communication between streets, blocks and the entire suburb.
The forum aims to identify which streets are currently serviced by street guards, which companies are responsible for the training, placement, supervision and payment of the guards and vetting individual guards for citizenship, police clearance and training records and maintaining a database. It also aims to identify training and resource needs for individual street guards and implement service training for all guards who need it.
The forum appeals to all street committees to forward them information about their committees and street guards.
Street captains are urged to attend the security forum meetings and to join the social media dialogue to keep their streets informed.
Details of how to join the Cnectd and WhatsApp messaging groups are available on the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/kensingtonsectorforum
The forum holds a public meeting on the second Wednesday of the month. The next meeting will be held on July 9 at 6.30pm. The meeting will take place at the Kensington Bowling Club in Ivanhoe Street.
@JoziReporter
