Urgent plea for neighbourhood patrols as crime spikes

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Cape Town - Neighbourhood watches are pleading for the right to patrol their communities as many note an increase in crime since the start of the lockdown. Neighbourhood watch groups are not considered essential services but as of this weekend, the City of Cape Town has recruited members into its disaster management team to assist with enforcing physical distancing in community queues and prevent vandalism of schools and clinics. Enver Maneveld, who oversees a watch group in Punts Estate, Heathfield, Elfindale and Windsor Park, said the absence of nightly patrols had led to a spike in criminality. “We’ve seen an increase of 400% in crime in our area in the last few weeks due to there being a lack of patrols in our area,” Maneveld said. “In the last two weeks we’ve had six vehicle break-ins, an armed home invasion, people jumping over walls, a number of other petty crimes. “It took criminals a week to realise there’s no patrols on the road. Now it’s open season.”

Robbers even removed a front window of a house before entering and tying up its occupants, he added.

“Residents have called me saying they can’t sleep at night, they’re feeling vulnerable.

“We’re sitting in our house not allowed to do anything,” he said. “This is a time bomb waiting to go off.”

On Thursday, National Police Minister Bheki Cele reinforced his stance that neighbourhood watches not be allowed to patrol during lockdown.

“When the soldiers and the police do things wrong, you know where to go. I don’t think you know where to go when a neighbourhood watch does things wrong. What is their accountability structure?” said Cele.

“Soldiers, police and the metro police have a history... they are vetted and known. Neighbourhood watch, I don’t think they are vetted.”

However, mayoral committee member for Safety and Security JP Smith said neighbourhood watch members are vetted and accredited so as to be recruited as disaster management volunteers. As of yesterday, 48 accredited members had responded.

“Their primary function is queue management; their secondary function is security of schools, clinics, libraries and other government amenities,” Smith said.

“The third is loud hailing and public awareness about social distancing, and the fourth is to observe and report any other crime that they see.”

The vigilance of the volunteers would help prevent some of the widespread looting across the city, he added.

“Crime is down across all categories but criminals have started targeting industrial and business premises that are closed after hours. So we’re asking that the neighbourhood watch keep an eye on these,” Smith said.

In rural agricultural areas, Capetonians fear exposure due to the lack of patrols has placed them at risk.

Karin van Zyl, chairperson of the Joostenbergvlakte Community Forum, said: “We know that people are hungry and they have no money. (But) things are escalating and we realise SAPS have their hands full.”

Areas such as Van Zyl’s are usually patrolled by members of the neighbourhood watch.

“We look after our own, we help each other. Our burglary statistics were low because we’ve got constant patrolling every night,” Van Zyl said.

“Now we’ve got nothing, and they (criminals) know. We do not have enough policemen, and they are so busy at the hotspots.

“We urgently need to have our neighbourhood watch activated again. This is a way that we can support the government in keeping the neighbourhood safe.

“We are worried because we’ve got small children here; we do not want to bring them up in fear. Just give us the power again to ensure our families that there’s someone watching out for you,” she added.

Table View Neighbourhood Watch’s Willie Buitedag said while it supports the lockdown regulations, neighbourhood watch could assist law enforcement while adhering to strict hygiene safety rules that would not increase risk of coronavirus transmission.

“We would like to be able to continue with our primary objective of being the eyes and ears for SAPS. We would like to resume vehicle patrols,” he said. “We would sleep much better knowing that (police) will have all the help they can get looking after our safety.”

MEC for Community Safety Albert Fritz said neighbourhood watch members would be deployed as city disaster management volunteers, and this would extend to rural areas.

“Volunteers are being recruited from accredited neighbourhood watches to support the lockdown as volunteers. The same will be implemented throughout district municipalities. In rural areas, this will apply to both neighbourhood watches and farm watches,” he added.