Residents urged to support Bobbies on the Beat project
Residents are urged to get on board and support the guarding initiative in Helen Joseph Road.
THE fight against crime and making suburbs safer took a step in the right direction this week when the Mzansi Bobbies on the Beat went on duty for the first time on Tuesday night in Helen Joseph (Davenport) Road.
The project was initiated by Bulwer Community Safety Forum and Mzansi Security, in an attempt to clear the busy road of crime. This forms part of Mzansi’s ‘SOS’ or Securing Our Suburbs, project.
Guards will patrol along the road from 6pm to 6am every night until 15 August. “We have committed to funding this project for a period of a month while we are trying to achieve the numbers to ensure that this is an ongoing service. For this to be a success, we need buy in from the community. Don’t believe you will never be affected by crime. Don’t sit back and wait to see if this project is going ahead, we have committed, now it is the community’s turn to be proactive and stand together and form this partnership to secure their suburb,” said Michelle Caswell from Mzansi.
Mzansi is providing four 12 hour night shift guards working in partnership with Mzansi’s dog unit and the area vehicle. The guards will also be in possession of cameras to capture events that take place in the road.
“We need participation, commitment forms to be signed and we need people who have joined this initiative to speak to their neighbours in the area. Negativity and complacency will not make this project work. We look forward to providing Helen Joseph Road with the security support that it requires and we look forward to working closely with the Bulwer Community Safety Forum and local authorities to rid the community of crime and to return it to its former glory,” she said.
Heather Rorick of the Bulwer Community Safety Forum urged people in the road to support the project. The forum’s patrol team took to the street with the Mzansi guards for a patrol on Tuesday night.
“More people need to sign up. There’s no use sitting and complaining about crime. It has picked up in the area and we need to act. The community has called for stronger commitment to fighting crime and we are giving it. This visible guarding will bring peace of mind at night time but we urge residents to join us in the fight against crime,” she said.
Contact Michelle on 031 203 5200.
