Ivory Park residents receive home alarms
About 50 households around Ivory Park had home alarms installed so that residents can get police assistance faster.
Community members of Ivory Park flocked to the Ivory Park North Hall on Wednesday last week during the official hand-over of home alarms.
The event was led by Memeza Community Safety in conjunction with Ivory Park SAPS, the community policing forum and youth desk.
The South African Breweries (SAB) sponsored the event and donated home alarms to the residents of Ivory Park.
About 50 households around Ivory Park had home alarms installed so that residents can get police assistance faster.
The home alarms are linked to the local SAPS and provide accurate directions to, contact details and names of, the householders. Residents were urged to press the panic button to alert the police if any crime happens, even if it does not occur in their houses.
Speaking at the event, Mr Thami Molefe, a representative from Memeza, said they’ve managed to reach 50 families around Ivory Park and are hoping to get more sponsorship in order to keep donating to other households.
Mr Molefe said the Ivory Park CPF has helped identify child-headed homes, the elderly, victims of crime and the most vulnerable as beneficiaries.
“We’ve seen a shift of crime in various communities around Gauteng with the help of these alarms and communities working together. We hope the alarms will also bring down crime in Ivory Park. We urge members of the community to work together to eradicate the scourge of crime. We are not saying community members should endanger their lives when fighting against crime. People should attend community meetings led by CPF and SAPS to get better tips for safety,” said Mr Molefe.
The founder of Memeza, Ms Thulile Mthethwa, said the home alarms should benefit the whole area, not only an individual.
“Let’s use the alarms as a community initiative and report crime. If you keep quiet and a bad thing is happening, you give power to the perpetrator,” said Ms Mthethwa.
Residents were also given an opportunity to raise questions and get clarity about the home alarms and on issues around their daily lives.
Ivory Park SAPS Station Commander Brigadier David Mbongeni Ncgobo said as police they cannot fight crime alone.
“We need the support of our community. Let’s respond to crime and report it. We encourage our people not to take the law into their own hands,” said Brigadier Ncgobo.
