East Moot bot registers many successes
"We are very grateful to every volunteer who is part of AfriForum to help build and create hope for our future."
With the help of Sierra Script, AfriForum’s East Moot branch and neighbourhood watch developed a feature known as the AfriForum-Bot on the Telegram app to provide support to communities during the national lockdown.
This bot has achieved many successes since it was introduced.
The bot, abbreviated from the word robot, arose from a need to deal with information more productively,” said Andries Opperman, security chairman of the East Moot branch.
Anyone who has been on any neighbourhood group or security group will know information often streams in.
Today there is a lookout for a suspect, but tomorrow that message is lost in all the other conversations and messages.
He said AfriForum’s East Moot neighbourhood watch and branch has grown very quickly.
Soon we were too many members on our group because of the 256 limit on WhatsApp, he said.
That’s why we moved to Telegram.
Telegram offers exactly the same features as WhatsApp, but more.
READ MORE: AfriForum greater Pretoria neighbourhood watches take part in national patrol
For example, there can be 200 000 members on a group. Admins have many more functions related to managing the group. And most importantly, Telegram provides very good support for bots.
Sierra Script developed three bots for AfriForum’s East Moot branch, said Opperman.
Residents can download the app on their smartphones and use the Telegram search feature to locate @AfriForumBuurtBot and @Covid19Buurt_Bot.
People who want to make use of this feature will have to enter mandatory details, after which it will be possible to report, among other things, crime, emergencies and municipal problems, said Opperman.
Crime-related problems and emergencies will be immediately forwarded to AfriForum’s East Moot control room.
It will also be used as a tool during patrols.
Opperman said this past weekend they participated in AfriForum’s national resistance patrol.
Patrolmen only send their live location to their operational group and the bot constantly keeps track of their patrol, he explained.
This includes exactly where they drove, how many miles they travelled, what incidents they handled and many more.
He said if a patrolman deals with an incident, he or she only needs to send a voice message to the bot that provides feedback on that incident and that voice message is stored in their database for future reference.
Opperman said they also identified a need on the municipal side.
READ MORE: AfriForum national patrol network to combat crime
Often WhatsApp groups are flooded with messages that read “my power is down, is yours?”. Or, “the water is running down the street”, he said.
However, users should note that municipal problems should be reported to the Tshwane metro before they can be reported to the East Moot branch.
He said branch and neighbourhood watch members will use the information they receive on the app to liaise with the necessary emergency services, agencies and people to find speedy solutions to these problems.
The East Moot branch and neighbourhood watch thanked Sierra Script for the free development of this feature.
They see it as their contribution to help make the community resilient. They deserve applause, said Opperman.
@AfriForumBuurtBot offers the following: Authorisation to join the AfriForum East Moot group and report crime and municipal problems.
@Covid19Buurt_Bot. Get the latest Covid-19 stats. Report medical emergencies that are communicated to emergency services. Report abuse of power. Provide information on Covid-19 test centres.
@PatrolBot: This is only for patrols of AfriForum’s East Moot neighbourhood watch. Notify the control room and other patrols of important information such as when a patroller activates or deactivates. It serves as a patrol journal. It stores locations, distances and patrols. It documents any incidents reported during the patrol.
We are very grateful to every volunteer who is part of AfriForum to help build and create hope for our future.
This is a big step forward for AfriForum’s East Moot branch and I look forward to what we can do with this Bot, said Sampie Steinberg, district coordinator for Greater Pretoria.
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