The City of Cape Town is employing four more Community Liaison Officers to cater to the needs of the burgeoning Neighbourhood Watch fraternity. The Neighbourhood Watch Support programme helps neighbourhood watch (NW) organizations to become registered, offers training to members and also provides equipment for use during their patrols.

In the previous financial year, equipment to the value of just over R2,3 million was distributed to various organisations. This included reflective jackets, torches, spotlights, dashboard cameras, action cameras, bicycles, first aid kits, flood lights, fire extinguishers, etc.

During the same period, handheld radios to the value of nearly R1,5 million was distributed to help NW members communicate with one another, but also to provide a direct line to the Metro Police call centre in the event of emergencies.

‘That is an investment of more than R3,5 million rand and we are planning a similar spend in the current financial year. An effective neighbourhood watch requires committed members who are passionate about community safety, but equally important are the right tools to do the job. We are constantly re-evaluating how we can improve our offering to the thousands of men and women who devote so much of their lives to this particular cause, because we value their contribution.

‘Just a few months ago, we provided a container for the neighbourhood watch in the Kosovo Informal Settlement in Philippi. That container can now serve as a base of operations where members can congregate and plan their operations, but it is also somewhere for the community to turn for help if they need it,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security; and Social Services, Alderman JP Smith.

Since July 2017, training has also been provided to just over 500 NW members focusing on the principles of community-orientated crime prevention, which is aimed at reducing opportunities for crimes to occur by focusing on the immediate physical environment.

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