OH WATCH

Dear Good Resident of Oranjezicht and Higgovale,

Crime Spree

After a relatively tranquil period, we were brought down to earth by a horrific crime spree last Saturday night. Between midnight and 4 am, several homes in the City Bowl were invaded by a gang of four Bravo males, who were seen driving a green Audi A4 Registration number CA 41531. In one case, the couple under attack activated their panic button, causing the criminals to flee. In the other cases, the alarms were not activated. In one case the bottom of the house was alarmed, but the criminals gained access via an open upstairs window. The owners were then forced to deactivate the alarm.

In some instances entry was gained via an open window, in other instances the front door was simply kicked in. In all instances the homes were occupied. Although the bulk of attacks were in Tamboerskloof, a house in Higgo Crescent was also targeted. The occupants were tied up, and jewellery and electronic equipment were taken.

As the armed response companies and SAPS responded to each incident, the criminals moved onto the next target. Such was their confidence, that in no instance did they even bother to check whether the house was occupied before gaining access.

Given the success of their efforts, it is almost certain that they will be back. Please be especially vigilant in the weeks ahead. Set perimeter beams at night if you have them, and make sure your panic buttons are working properly and easily accessible.

OH Watch AGM Tuesday 13 March at 6pm

Our AGM will be held at 6pm on Tuesday March the 13th, at St. Cyprian’School Hall Sc. We will be discussing our financial position, analysing crime trends, as well as looking at new and innovative ways of combating crime, such as installing a network of cameras with the capability of recognising number plates. This system is already operational in other parts of the Peninsula, and is chalking up successes in terms of identifying and apprehending criminals.

Please make every effort to attend our AGM. We welcome constructive suggestions on fighting crime. Our AGM is an ideal opportunity to voice your opinion.

OH Watch Annual Subs now due for 2012

Many thanks to those of you who have paid your R200 annual membership fee during 2011 and have already paid 2012 subs. 2012 subs are now due, and if you haven’t paid your 2011 subscription, its not too late.

Our banking details are:

Bank: First National Bank
Branch: Gardens
Branch code: 201511
Account number: 62212483680
Name of account: OH Watch
Ref: Surname and Subs

As always, we welcome constructive criticism. Contact us with any suggestions you might have.

Check the OH Watch website (www.ohwatch.co.za) for safety tips to keep your mind at rest and others at bay.

Dear Good Resident of Oranjezicht and Higgovale

Happy New Year. May 2012 bring joy, justice, and healing to us and the world.

We hope that you had a restful break and that you are easing back into work and home life. Crime was relatively low during the December holidays – we applaud the OH Watch voluntary patrollers who maintained their commitment right through the holidays when most people were on leave with their families.

Please join OH Watch for Patrol Training: Thursday 26 January 2012

OH Watch desperately needs more dedicated patrollers who can learn from those who are already experienced and enable the handful of patrollers who do the bulk of the patrolling day in and day out to relax a little. All we ask is one two-hour slot a month, and that you join us for a once off training session. Our next patrol training session is on Tuesday 24th January 2012 from 18h00 – 20h00. All are welcome to attend, including our current patrollers should they be happy to share their experiences with new patrollers. We are also pleased to announce that Tony Schreiber, SAPS reservist and co-founder of the successful Bergvliet Meadowridge Neighbourhood Watch (BKM) will be our guest speaker. Tony is a great speaker – he tells it the way it is - and is passionate about reducing crime. And just so that you know how serious OH Watch is about the need for more patrollers to join our ranks, if you bring 5 people with you to the training session, and they then become active patrollers, you will receive a complimentary OH Watch two way radio. Please RSVP: patrols@ohwatch.co.za

High alert for fires on the mountain

Summer is here and we’re on high alert for fires on the slopes – if you see smoke please use your OH Watch radio or call the city emergency line 107 (landline), or the Fire Department on 021 535 1100. With much of our area bordering on the Table Mountain National Park, members are please to be on the lookout for persons throwing cigarette buts out of cars and on pavements. The City of Cape Town has a Stompie Hotline. The 24-hour complaint line, which also receives tip-offs about air and water polluters, has received 1684 complaints since it was set up in 2007. The stompie hotline control centre number is 021 424 7715. We also have to be on the lookout for vagrants starting small fires in the areas of Van Riebeeck Park, De Waal Park, the lower reservoir, the Quarry, and Deer Park.

Watching Out for Each Other

Last week, OH Watch volunteer patroller, Anthony Rees was on a routine vehicle patrol when he heard a call for help on his radio from DPV Watch, our neighbouring neighbourhood watch in Devils Peak and Vredehoek. They were looking for a black man wearing a red cap, white t-shirt and carrying an orange jacket, who had just been seen breaking into a residential garage and on the run. At the time, Anthony was heading in the direction of the reported incident (Upper Buitenkant St / Highlands Ave interchange) and lo and behold caught the same suspect looking into a silver vehicle with the intention to break in, 4 blocks away. He attempted to run away when he spotted OH Watch approaching, but Anthony managed to apprehend him in a small park 30 meters away. DPV Watch members arrived shortly thereafter in full force, followed by ADT, City Bowl Armed Response and later the police. The suspect was identified by the home owner as the would-be thief and promptly arrested and charged for attempted house breaking.

Training as a volunteer trauma counsellor

If you are interested in training as a volunteer trauma counsellor, the Victim Support Room at SAPS Central is in dire need of volunteers from the City Bowl community to assist with the counselling of victims of crime. SAPS will be doing a training session for volunteers in the coming weeks – no dates set yet. It likely that the training will be held at Cape Town Central Police Station for five days. Victim Support Councillors work on a voluntary shift basis. The shifts run for a week and you can opt to be on call during the day or evening for that week. If there is a victim in need, then you would be asked to go to the Victim Support Room at SAPS Central. The councillor’s role is to offer support to victims and assist them in dealing with their immediate trauma. Please email OH Watch (info@ohwatch.co.za) if you are interested in becoming a victim support councillor and if you would be able to attend training.

Currently there are no volunteers living in the City Bowl which is why it is essential that the neighbourhood watches take up this opportunity.

Drug Bust

On Wednesday afternoon, OH Watch patrollers Rees and Ashwell were on patrol in Myrtle Street behind the Gardens Centre and came across a new character attempting to set himself up as a car guard in the area. When they approached him to ask him to leave the area he became belligerent, aggressive and refused to leave. They called in SAPS for assistance and Constable Samai arrived to interview him and issue a warning not to return. He became argumentative and uncooperative with SAPS. This resulted in him being arrested for failing to follow the instructions of a police officer. He was then duly searched on the spot. TIK and drug paraphernalia was found on his person.

He was duly arrested and appeared in court on Thursday morning on drug charges. He left custody on bail at 1pm on Thursday.

On Thursday afternoon (the next day) when on patrol again, the patrollers came across the same suspect, operating in exactly the same spot where he had been arrested the previous day. He then made death threats claiming that he will continue to return. The patrollers once again summonsed SAPS to deal with the suspect, however there was no vehicle which could attend to our complaint, as the one and only vehicle in the area was attending to another complaint it the police station. The suspect then begun leaving the area, while continuing to taunt us and threaten the patrollers. They followed him to the Company Gardens, while keeping in radio contact with SAPS who dispatched a city CID vehicle to pick him up. He was arrested by CID and a City Law Enforcement Officer in the Company Gardens and taken to SAPS Central.

OH Watch patrollers opened cases of intimidation against the suspect and they subsequently learned that this suspect has previously spent 17 years jail time, and has been arrested on various occasions for theft and business break-ins. OH Watch hopes that SAPS request the public prosecutor to oppose bail for this suspect, taking into account his long criminal record and re-arrest the same day of his bail release.

Loiterer issued banning order by Gardens Centre

Over the last two months, two OH Watch patrollers have been issuing many warnings to a 17 year old youth who has been sitting on the steps leading from Hiddingh Street into the Gardens Centre (Woolworths side). He has become a nuisance to shoppers and people living in the area and OH Watch received numerous complaints from the community about his arrogant manner and persistence in begging. Last week, OH Watch patrollers summoned the Centre Security, who took him to their security office and issued him with an official banning order from the Centre. He signed an acknowledgment that he would stop begging / loitering on the premises. Should we or the Centre security find him begging in the area, SAPS will be called in and he will be promptly arrested.

Repainting of Lamp Poles and Reporting of Street Light Faults

OH Watch has been in touch with the City regarding the repainting of lamp posts that are in need of derusting/re-spraying/painting. About 350 out of a total of approx 898 poles. A start was made last year in the Upper Orange area, but there is still along way to go. The City has promised to complete the job.

The following streetlights were not working in Oranjezicht and were reported to the City.

Sidmouth Ave
Lincoln Rd
Serpentine Rd
Beulah Terrace
Montreal Ave
Grovesnor Ave
They have been repaired and are now working.

OH Watch Annual Subs now due for 2012

Many thanks to those of you who have paid your R200 annual membership fee during 2011. 2012 subs are now due, and if you haven’t paid your 2011 subscription, its not too late.

Our banking details are:

Bank: First National Bank
Branch: Gardens
Branch code: 201511
Account number: 62212483680
Name of account: OH Watch
Ref: Surname and Subs

As always, we welcome constructive criticism. Contact us with any suggestions you might have for the new year.

Check the OH Watch website www.ohwatch.co.za for safety tips to keep your mind at rest and others at bay.

Dear Resident of Oranjezicht and Higgovale

Unfortunately, our area is experiencing an alarming increase in crime.

The past week has seen a number of break-ins and attempted break-ins. It is clear that there is more than one grouping of criminals targeting the OH Watch area. One property in Higgo Road was hit three times in the last week, with the criminals escaping every time. Also, in Hilton Road, an attempt was made to lift a sliding gate, which was foiled by the anti-lifting device that had been fitted. In the process the gate was damaged, necessitating repair. This is the third incident at this address, which has good security, in the form of a high fence, and perimeter beams. This does not deter the criminals.

A clear pattern of the most common incidents is emerging. They are happening at night, mostly in the small hours. We believe that Bravo males are often involved. Sometimes late model cars are used, which we think are rented, as different cars have been seen on different occasions. However, they are all new ,and in good condition. There is also a white bakkie that has been seen a few times. The modus operandi is to drop the criminals, and then return to pick them up later. There is a sliding gate gang, targeting sliding gates, which are lifted off their rails, so please ensure that your gate has an anti-lifting bar fitted.

Certain areas appear particularly vulnerable. Areas backing onto the mountain, such as Glencoe, Bridle, and Rugby, are prime examples. Also, houses next to vacant plots or building sites are vulnerable. Houses with leafy gardens, which offer good cover, especially at night, are also targeted, particularly when neighbours do not have a clear view of the house, or if there is no house opposite. If your house fits this description, please take extra care.

Show Solidarity and Join us for a Mass Patrol on Thursday Night 03 November 2011 from 10pm

In the light of the current serious situation, we appeal to members of OH Watch to join us on a mass patrol to be held on Thursday evening 03 November from 10pm - Midnight. We will be working with SAPS and other security providers in the area to establish vehicle check points (roadblocks) in our area and to show increased visibility. We must resist the urge to retreat into our pigeonholes and become paralysed by the fear of crime, or not being able to do something about anything. At the end of the day the responsibility for crime prevention ultimately rests with SAPS - but it is acknowledged that their resources are spread thin on the ground and they can only do so much.

If you can participate (even if only to show face and bring a flask of coffee) please e-mail patrols@ohwatch.co.za and we will forward details of meeting points to you.
You can call Francis on 072 672 4647 if you want to find out more details. You do not need to have attended a patrol training session to volunteer for this patrol as you will be in the company of experienced patrollers and SAPS.

Patrols in the Area Around Garden Centre

The late Dame Anita Roddick of the Body Shop once said that if you think you’re too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent a night with a mosquito. How true this is. One patroller, with the call sign of Orange 19, has together with SAPS and ADT/CBAR cleaned up the area around the Gardens Centre, by being visible in the area every day, reporting suspicious vehicles, people and car guards.
He has now enlisted the support of two other patrollers and together they are making a huge difference, simply be being visible and reporting suspicious behaviour. We are very thankful to those that prioritise our safety.

Get your Neighbour to join OH Watch

There are still ‘scores of residents’ who are not yet members of OH Watch. Please try and encourage them to register on www.ohwatch.co.za and get actively involved. Members are all ordinary folk with family, work and other commitments just like you and me, making a difference for everyone’s benefit. And if you feel you cannot contribute in sweat equity, then consider assisting financially. OH Watch wants to employ a full time security observer, plant trees, have a cop of the month award, etc.

Working together to bring out the best in our neighbourhood will re-energise our confidence in the human spirit!

Funds

We have yet to achieve the aim of collecting our funding needs in a fair and equal way amongst residents. Some residents have been extremely generous, and we are very thankful, while others have yet to contribute the R200 per annum we ask for. If we are to continue our efforts at maintaining and improving our neighbourhood, we need money to achieve this. There is still a lot we would like to do, for the benefit of all, but unfortunately we are not in a position to afford all the projects we have on the drawing board. We need your financial assistance. To pay your subscription, use the banking details shown below.

Our banking details are:

Bank: First National Bank
Branch: Gardens
Branch code: 201511
Account number: 62212483680
Name of account: OH Watch
Ref: Surname and Subs

Stay safe and alert by reading our website, that is updated as incidents occur and consider purchasing an OH Watch two-way radio. See http://www.ohwatch.co.za/radio-network

Your OH Watch Exco

I was interested to hear an estate agent on Cape Talk last week speak about the link between neighbourhood watches and the price of property.

She said that buyers preferred to purchase a house in an area where there was an active neighbourhood watch as opposed to an area where a neighbourhood watch did not exist or was not that active.

This led me to do a bit of online research about the estate agency sector and crime.
“Estate agencies are often reluctant to admit that crime in the residential suburbs of South Africa has become a major reason for the slow house price recovery,” says Lanice Steward, Managing Director of Anne Porter Knight Frank (APKF). “Constant surveillance of this kind by communities has transformed certain precincts as radically as have CIDs in some urban areas,” says Steward.

In one case, says Steward, Anne Porter had taken a preliminary offer to buy from a keen buyer, who then called in on the local police station to check their views on crime in that precinct – and was so dismayed by what he heard that he cancelled his offer.

What has, in many areas, prevented the situation getting out of hand, says Steward, has been the remarkable success of neighbourhood watches. These, she says, are often staffed by men and women who have already put in a hard day’s work elsewhere but who appreciate the need for a supplementary service.

Experience in many watches has revealed four rather obvious facts:

1. The first is that the more residents can patrol, the more effective neighbourhood watches are likely to be.
2. Secondly, the criminals are highly aware of which homes are lived in by elderly or vulnerable people and tend to target these.
3. The third factor revealed by most neighbourhood watch statistics, is that in their first two to three years they become increasingly
   effective but thereafter both the organisers and staff find it hard to maintain their enthusiasm and ongoing recruitment.
4. Fourthly, if and when efforts are made to ensure that the entire neighbourhood becomes ‘watch affiliates’ - crime is, again, held back.

Experience in the suburbs of South London and in Sydney, Australia, has shown that when the women and the older people of the community take on daylight activities, the whole population becomes alert to possible incidents. But, crime can be - and is being - beaten in those communities which are proactive rather than reactive and which ‘enrol’ law-abiding members as another pair of eyes in round-the-clock campaigns.

The key challenge for us at OH Watch is to keep up the enthusiasm amongst our members to do something proactive. It is pointless whinging about crime and not attempting to participate in even a very small way. And remember this is not solely a ‘South African phenomenon’ where citizens are encouraged to get involved in the fight against crime. The UK’s citizenry is heavily involved in Neighbourhood Watches - it works and it is successful where energy is maintained.

The full enjoyment of living anywhere is not simply in creating a wonderful private space, but in maximising the value gained from the whole area we call ‘home’. This includes our public parks and streets and of course our beautiful natural environment, that is under enormous strain from more and more development, some of it not sensitive to the aesthetics of place.

It is for this reason that we must resist the urge to retreat into our pigeonholes and become paralysed by the fear of crime, or not being able to do something about anything. We should be going out and doing more in our public spaces, not less. The greater the public usage the greater will be the visible presence of people and the clearer the message that ‘they’ have not won! Take Homestead Park as an example. We’ve taken it back.

At the end of the day the responsibility for crime prevention ultimately rests with SAPS - but it is acknowledged that their resources are spread thin on the ground and they can only do so much.

What can the real estate industry do to help? Our particular Neighbourhood Watch in OH Watch is regularly cited by the local estate agents as one of the reasons to buy in Oranjezicht and Higgovale. The Neighbourhood Watch is in fact directly bolstering property values in the area. As such estate agencies should be much more involved and contribute significantly towards the direct and indirect costs of running a NW, which are massive. OH Watch has a paid Administrator, 124 radio’s paid for individually and given to SAPS and CBAR and ADT, workshops and meetings, regular awards for patrollers. Neighbourhood Watches all over are helping your industry make more money - it’s time to invest in these structures in order to maintain your revenue! It is in your interest to do so.

Make no mistake, we have had wonderful support from Remax and Jawitz, and we are very grateful, but nothing from all the other agents operating in our area. Residents should take this into account and support those companies that support our community.

And the ‘scores of residents’ who are not yet members of our neighbourhood watch, should seriously consider joining and getting actively involved. Members are all ordinary folk with family, work and other commitments just like you and me, making a difference for everyone’s benefit whether they participate or not. And if you feel you cannot contribute in sweat equity, then consider the financial assistance that would be hugely appreciated for desperately needed assistance like employing a full time security observer, events in our parks, planting trees, cop of the month awards etc.

Working together to bring out the best in our neighbourhood will re-energise our confidence in the human spirit!