ABOUT US – WBSNW

WHERE DID WBSNW BEGIN?

During early 2017, our neighbourhood was experiencing at least one incident of crime a week, however the picture with SAPS painted a very different picture, as during the same period, SAPS’s records indicated that around four incident per annum had occurred. This contradiction immediately highlighted two issues, the first would be to wake up the community from their apathetic slumber, as nothing had been reported, and secondly, would be to mobilise a bona-fide Neighbourhood Watch which would become active in the area.

Work had already been set in motion with two residents who had banded together to form the “Warner Beach South Watch WhatsApp Group”, which was specifically to bring the community together and to promote the communication of any criminal activity within the neighbourhood.

This at the time, apart from creating a new breed of “keyboard warrior”, did however, create a forum that highlighted the actual true extent of the crime in our area which had previously gone unnoticed. This in turn made the neighbourhood sit up and take notice, where the previous mood was one of apathy, it had now turned to one of concern.

The drive that our two residents had in getting the residents to join was relentless, and as more and more residents joined the WBSN WhatsApp group, the more the members wanted to play a more active role, to where this interest then enabled us to formally establish, and announce ourselves to the SAPS as the Warner Beach South Neighbourhood Watch Group, (WBSNW). In September 2018, our inaugural general meeting was held, and our committee was formed.

This was where the work started, and in collaboration with SAPS, local Armed Response Companies, CCPO, and other established neighbourhood Watch’s experiences, our committee started to formulate a crime prevention program which essentially needed to be integrated into existing established crime prevention efforts in the area.

Our committee knows only too well, the amount of effort it takes to self-fund a crime prevention group, and knows first-hand, the “free riders” that seem content to jump onto the backs of others, whilst enjoying the same benefits of those contributing members. Due to this reason our committees first decision was to make it mandatory that to become a member of WBSNW, you first need to be a member of the CCPO, as not only are CCPO one of our first responders, but it also ensures that they are able to place more patrollers in our neighbourhood.

In addition, we were and still are, in a very fortunate position to have an excellent support network assisting us with the likes of Blue Security, ET Rapid Response, and the CCPO. Our camera network, which is a continuous “work in progress” project, was initiated and established in conjunction with ET Rapid Response, who greatly assisted us in the installation and visibility aspect of our program, where today we now boast some 52 cameras that are available to our members.

However, without doubt, our biggest asset is our patrol and camera monitoring groups. These men and woman, young and not so young, all go about their duties with amazing enthusiasm, and commitment. It is due to them that we have a WBSNW, and where we are living in a near crime free neighbourhood, whilst crime continues around us.

All Neighbourhood Watch Groups are reliant solely on active members to be successful, however the reality of it is that people would rather leave things to others, and would rather expend their energy making excuses as to why they can’t join, rather than make excuses as to why they can join.

WBSNW currently has an estimated member base of around 5% of its residents, however if we are to be successful in fighting crime going forward, this membership needs to grow to beyond the 70% figure.

The authorities simply do not have the resources, and as such, it is the responsibility of these communities to become more and more involved in actively assisting in the fight against crime.

There is a Neighbourhood Watch in your area, please contact them, and take up an active role in preventing crime in your neighbourhood. Remember prevention is better than cure, and let’s not wait to become a victim, before we decide to do something.

So, for the sake of your family, please join your local Neighbourhood Watch today.