Centurion West CID aims to make an impact
Metro official André Jacobs says the city improvement district was inspired by elements learned from Singapore, the broken window theory and the City of Coventry, to lead co-operative governance and strong relationships between the private and public sectors.
Centurion is on the path to becoming a safer city with the official establishment of the Centurion West City Improvement District (CID).
“When good people do nothing, evil triumphs. We are here today to make a change, to make a difference in Centurion,” said André Jacobs of the Tshwane metro.
He said the initiative was inspired by elements learned from Singapore, former New York mayor Rudi Giuliani’s broken window theory and the City of Coventry, to lead co-operative governance and strong relationships between the private and public sectors.
“To bring this about in Tshwane was not easy, but the community upliftment precincts (CUPs) will allow concerned citizens and businesses to be actively involved in the management of the areas,” said Jacobs.
“To rescue the city we need people like this. People who can take hands and make a difference in our community.”
In November 2023, the Tshwane Council adopted the CID initiative as part of its official policy.
The most recent addition of the Centurion West CID consists of residential areas and Centurion’s CBD.
The Centurion West CID is a co-operative agreement between the metro, security firm Monitor Net and other role players.
Ignite Urban submitted the application for the CID.
Motorola was involved as a partner with the installation of eight sophisticated CCTV-LPR cameras (vehicle licence plate recognition cameras) as part of the pilot project.
Four smart streetlights working with solar power and equipped with cameras will also soon be erected.
These will be monitored 24/7 by a high-technology control room and be supported by a professional armed response team, which will respond as soon as criminal activity is detected.
Monitor Net spokesperson Frank Grobbelaar said security has changed significantly over the last two years.
“This created a platform to create wonderful relationships,” he said.
Community Safety MMC Grandi Theunissen said the process began in October 2022.
In the past, a CID could only be established if 60% of residents and 70% of businesses in the relevant area agreed to it, and an additional monthly fee was also levied to finance the initiative.
“With the new concept, which is the FF Plus’ brainchild, creating a CID has been streamlined and is voluntary. The application process has also been made easier and faster,” Theunissen said.
At the official launch of the Centurion West CID Westside precinct CUP at Monitor Net’s CID CCTV Ops room at its head office in Hennopspark, Theunissen said this was a small part of a larger plan.
“We have more than 40 applications so far where people come together from a specific community to look at different aspects. Not only in the security portion but also in initiatives, such as the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding with AfriForum, about the upkeep of the area.
“This is one element of where we are going with security in the city.
“We have to change the model. Our infrastructure is under siege,” said Theunissen.
The CUP is meant to provide a vehicle where the public and private sectors can start working together.
Central to this will be the establishment of a community safety directorate, said Theunissen.
“There is a lack, a vacuum, and I foresee that with the establishment of the community safety directorate, we can have an operational leg that can then start co-ordinating.”
He explained that the directorate would have four functions or divisions; the asset protection and security services department, a community liaison leg, a unified command centre, and intelligence.
“Each actor on their own little island is looking after what they are supposed to be looking after. But we can be far more effective if we do it holistically and we have somebody to co-ordinate it.”
Theunissen said there was a lack of intelligence in the city.
“This is not necessarily crime intelligence that we are looking at, it is far more than that.
“We experienced this when we had the strike for four months.”
He said it was the voluntary involvement of private security companies that patrolled key points and escorted work teams during the strike that assisted the metro during the time.
CID manager Lebo Mashego said this marked a milestone.
“This exercise where we are taking hands with the municipality opening doors is a milestone.
“People ask, why we should clean the streets, why should streetlights and traffic lights be bettered by us? Why should we invest in different technology?
“It is such a relief to go into a municipal department and be heard.
“A CUP does not take over the responsibility of the metro, it takes it a step further in working together.”
Also read: Disgruntled Tshwane guards plan to go awol this week
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