WhatsApp community security groups – are they important?
They are a way for residents to quickly alert police and private security companies to an issue or event and are an asset to communities.
Communities throughout the city have created WhatsApp groups with a focus on security to keep themselves informed about possible risks or threats to their neighbourhoods.
These are often managed by residents’ associations, CPFs or private security companies. Residents are able to use the platform to alert each other, and often private security companies to incidents or events that they feel warrant attention.
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Fairland police Station Commander at Fairland Police Station Lieutenant Colonel Clive de Freitas said, “These groups are so valuable because police can’t be everywhere all the time. It gives residents a platform to alert us, and private security companies to any problems or emergencies they have and results in some form of support or response.
Private security companies can definitely respond faster than we can a lot of the time who provide help in many forms when time is often of the essence. It also gives us real-time information about what is happening in our precinct.”
Fairland CPFs Mike Styer said, “People can post lookouts and people are informed of crime trends and do’s and don’ts. Suspicious activities can be reported to and checked on by first responders.”
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“Some security companies see them as a threat because they survive and thrive off of high crime rates. These groups are often run by community volunteer organisations like many for the Fairland area for example, whose sole aim is to respond to emergencies both crime and medical with the aim if driving drive down crime and to help people in distress.”
Clive Maher, head of Suburban Control Centre (SCP Security) commented, “The WhatsApp groups are a way for us to know what is happening in our areas. It is the natural progression of technology. For us, it adds tremendous value, not only because we can monitor areas, but also because we are able to respond.
If you are at home having a break-in, need a doctor or have a fire, you don’t really care if one provider or ten arrive, you just need help. For me personally, if someone needs help we want to try to assist. We don’t care if you are a client or not, if you need help, we are happy to be there for you. This is often also a way for us to find new clients, so it’s also beneficial to us as a business.”
Another two large security companies were approached for comment. One declined to comment, another ignored a request for comment. The second, in a previous off-the-record conversation with the paper, said they felt WhatsApp groups were wasting their resources.
They bemoaned having to attend to concerns of the community despite alerts being raised by individuals that are not clients. “We have to attend because other companies do, and it makes us look bad if we don’t.”
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