Community must be pro-active to fight crime
When the community works towards one goal, success is inevitable.
The NPO All Nation (AN) met with Guardian Angel Security (GAS) on October 12 to discuss installing CCTV cameras in the south to mitigate crime.
Although the meeting was to be public, the public didn’t attend. The aim was around safety in the area and how the community could participate in this venture.
Eric Khetho from AN confirmed that people want to fight crime but don’t have the strategies and means.
“That is why we want to work with GAS to expand our knowledge to decrease crime. Another thing we want to work with is the schools. We want to introduce the panic button and how to use it. We will also contact the SGB,” Khetho said.
He emphasised that they would need team leaders in the community to spread the message.
“There are also many illegal things happening in the community, like dumping and urinating in public,” he said.
Steve Dwarika from GAS chipped in, saying they’ve identified a few issues, including environmental health, which is lacking in the area.
“We have medical and social services at our operation command centre in Towerby. There is so much need for social services in the area. The community is encouraged to come and see what we have there.
“We also encourage the community members to have panic buttons because it is easier to locate that person, and we will call you back for assistance. With a panic button, you can also share information anonymously that can lead to arrests, so the community buy-in is important,” explained Dwarika.
At the meeting were two members from the AN – Joyce Nkwitshi and Portia Mangcotywa. Also discussed was criminals targeting the elderly who live alone.
It was noted that in Bellavista and Chrisville, children carry guns and shoot people. That was attributed to gangs fighting for territory, which has also seen South Hills and Moffat View affected by these shootings.
The AN aims to create platforms to speak through advocacy. They want to educate and run programmes that bring positive change by working with organisations that stop corruption, substance abuse, skills training, entrepreneurship and employment.
For more information on the cameras and panic buttons, call GAS on 083 427 7991 or 011 436 1719/31. You can Khetho on 079 634 1741.
