MEMBERS of the newly formed Somerset Park Neighbourhood Watch met last Saturday to discuss setting-up vehicle patrols to help rid the area of crime.

In recent months, the area has been hard hit with a number of armed robberies taking place, including one last week on Somerset Drive. In that incident, armed men threatened to burn one of the homeowners’ children if they did not disclose where their valuables were kept.

Although the meeting was pre-planned, it took on further significance following the armed home invasion. Chairman of the Durban North/Umhlanga CPF, Haden Searles was on hand to discuss ways to patrol and what to do when spotting any suspicious activity.

“I’ve been really impressed with how the community in Somerset Park have mobilised following the formation of the neighbourhood watch. Most of the people at Saturday’s meeting were volunteering to be part of visible patrols in the area which is one of the factors that can curb crime by always having someone in the area making sure there is no suspicious activity going on.

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“The watch has already held its first snake patrol and I think the residents in the area will be able to fight back and curb crime,” Searles said.

Chairman of the neighbourhood watch, Avilash Aniruth, echoed Searles’ statement.

“We want to provide a presence and a visible policing presence in the area. We’ve been very fortunate to have so many residents support the neighbourhood watch since our inception this year. We are encouraging more people to sign up for the daily patrols in the area. We want to make Somerset Park safer and crime-free but we can’t do that without the residents’ help,” he said.

Aniruth, encouraged residents who wanted to get involved to sign up to be a part of the neighbourhood watch by visiting their website: www.somersetparknhw.co.za.

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