Who you gonna call?

EDMUND Burke once said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

While some may be prepared to give in to the complacency of modern society, there are some who will go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that evil does not triumph.

The patrolling members of Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch are an outstanding example of the latter, placing themselves at the forefront of the daily fight against the criminal element that plagues society in an age of lawlessness.

The Community Policing Forum of Vryheid had its first meeting on February 5, 2013. The meeting was attended by only 18 people and nothing much materialised after that until roughly a year later, when thefts and burglaries started to become regular occurrences in the Afrikaner Street area.

According to senior members of the Watch, the idea to restart the Community Policing Forum came about after one of their family members was the victim of a robbery at his home. In response to his call for help, his father contacted several of his friends and they all pitched up at the house and caught the criminal in the act.

A group of men, tired of crime affecting their lives and the lives of their families and friends, decided enough was enough. Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch was subsequently born.

These brave men have stood up to adversity, stopping at nothing to keep the residents of Vryheid and surrounding areas safe, responding to emergency situations with unrivalled swiftness and working hand in hand with SAPS and other security companies to effectively lower the crime stats in Vryheid.

One needs only to page through this week’s Vryheid Herald, as well as previous issues, to see just how effective they have been so far.

So if there’s something strange in your neighbourhood, call Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch to report it on 087 808 3508.