Residents hope to unite Ballito against crime

The increase in crime in Ballito has led to a group of concerned residents establishing the Ballito Coordinated Security Initiative (BCSI).

The campaign was launched at the beginning of this month with the objective of reducing crime in Ballito by moving from reactive policing to applying proactive security measures at community level.

They hope to convince the majority of Ballito to sign up with only one of two dedicated security companies in order to consolidate resources currently spent on dozens of security service providers.

Ballito resident Riaan Verster, one of the volunteers driving the project, said crime prevention was about stopping crime from happening rather than waiting to respond once offences had been committed.

“More importantly, preventing crime means aiming at the heart of the problem. We believe visible policing is one of the most effective strategies to reduce crime,” explained Riaan.

The preferred security service providers will be held accountable by adhering to a service level agreement that will be compiled by the BSCI.

They propose using guard houses, dedicated patrol vehicles, foot patrols and CCTV camera installations to increase and improve the level of crime deterrence within the community,

Members of the community and those who wish to be part of the initiative will be expected to switch to the chosen providers who will support the crime prevention strategy of BCSI.

“The key to success will be to formalise and coordinate this partnership to build a proactive, anti-crime initiative. Having a dedicated security company that is able to focus its resources, cars and personnel in selected areas has been proven to work as a foolproof security system,” said Verster.

According to the BCSI steering committee, made up of five Ballito residents, there are little to no preventative policing resources available to the residents of the areas served by the Umhlali police station while KDM municipal resourcing of security measures in the area have been limited.

“A number of security companies are currently competing for work and customers in Ballito and despite the expansion and proliferation of these security companies, there has been a limited deterrent effect on crime in the area,” added Verster.

Verster emphasised that the selection of the preferred security providers would be by means of a thorough and transparent selection process, with interested parties submitting proposals and presenting to an independent and objective panel of community representatives.

“Security service providers will be measured against a set list of pre-agreed selection criteria and successful bidders will enter into a memorandum of understanding and cooperation, including the establishment of a joint task team.

“We want to ensure that resources are used in the most efficient way and with the right security initiatives in place, we should see a decrease in crime.We want to take Ballito to a level of safety where all residents can feel secure,” said Verster.

The Dolphin Coast Residents and Ratepayers Association (DOCRRA) and the Ballito Neighbourhood Watch (BNW) have come out in support of the BCSI project that has to be initiated at community level and requires the support of the residents in the area to succeed.

To find out more on the proposal visit the BCSI website at www.ballitocsi.co.za or Facebook page: www.facebook.com/BallitoStrongerTogether

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