New Germany watch tackles crime

THE Berkshire/Upper Lyndhurst Neighbourhood Watch hosted a safety community meeting at Lyndhurst Primary School sport field on Saturday.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss matters that affect the community in a negative way especially crime and unattended overgrown grass and bushes in some of the roads.

President of the watch, Marks Mthonti, said the meeting involved security companies, police, patrollers, residents and the fire department.

ALSO READ: Join the neighbourhood watch to deter criminals 

“We discussed how we, as the community, can assist the police and the security companies. We all need to be hands-on and do things ourselves instead of complaining all the time while things are spiraling out of control,” said Mthonti.

Since the Berkshire Watch was started two years ago, Mthonti said the crime has decreased dramatically.

“Before we started the watch, without fail, we experienced four to six break-ins each night. After some time we were approached by the Upper Highway community who wanted us to also help them with crime in their area,” explained Mthonti.

He said the communication from the WhatsApp groups has really helped them. “We patrol seven days a week, have door to door campaigns regularly and we are also looking at installing street cameras.

“The committee will also be meeting with stakeholders such as security companies and police for regular follow-ups”

The meeting was also a day for the community to get to know one another as there were activities for children, a braai and refreshments.

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