RESPONSE TO BEACH ATTACKS

Date posted: January 9, 2018

We have a serious crime problem on our beloved Noordhoek beach. There have been multiple attacks on the beach over the last few months. These have included a number of stabbings, with the most recent one being very nearly fatal. The majority of attacks have been focused around the Kakapo wreck but some attacks have occurred on the Noordhoek side of the beach.

The lack of resources, coordinated response and prosecution by authorities has resulted in continued attacks. The suspects are armed and have shown their level of skill and disregard for life in carrying out attacks. It is extremely dangerous for volunteer community members to patrol due to the threat of quickly being isolated in the remote areas where attacks are occurring.

Komwatch and Chapman’s Peak Neighbourhood Watch are raising funds for a security response to stop these attacks occurring on the beach. This will include a strategic, proactive plan to apprehend and prosecute the suspects – urgently. We have set up a task team who will be working closely with SanParks and SAPS to ensure effective support by our neighbourhood watch responders. A minimum amount of R 50 000 is required. The funds will be used for a response team, investigation purposes and prosecution. Just apprehending suspects is not enough – we must ensure they are locked away for the crimes committed.

Please note:

1. Not all details of the plan are being released at this stage to protect those involved in the response
2. Volunteers could unwittingly upset any ongoing operations by authorities and are advised to avoid the area.
3. Assistance from patrollers will be coordinated through the relevant neighbourhood watch
4. Bear in mind that Kakapo wreck falls within a National Park – general rules and regulations of SanParks can be accessed here – https://www.sanparks.org/assets/docs/tourism_reservations/park-regulations.pdf
5. Rogue vigilante action is strongly discouraged and any illegal activity will be reported to the relevant authorities. Please work through the structures in place, namely your local NHW, who are doing their best to assist relevant stakeholders in preventing further attacks and ensure that the culprits are identified and prosecuted.

Donations can be made either to the CPNW or KomWatch Bank accounts, details below:

CPNW

• Account name: Chapmans Peak Neighbourhood Watch
• Bank: Standard Bank
• Account: 270 364 439
• Branch: Fish Hoek 036009
• Ref: Beach_YourSurname

KOMWATCH

• Account name: Kommetjie Neighbourhood Watch
• Bank: ABSA Bank
• Account: 40 6840 8761
• Branch: Longbeach Mall 632005
• Ref: Beach_YourSurname

In order to get this initiative started immediately, Komwatch and CPNW are each pledging R10 000. To ensure continuity and the smooth running of the project it would be fantastic if all donations could be received within the next two weeks. We will share more information with you as soon as we can.

Thank you to those who have already donated, your generosity is always appreciated

Komwatch and CPNW Committee

CPNW NEWSLETTER – 28 DECEMBER 2017

Date posted: December 28, 2017

Dear Neighbours,

Thank to everyone who came to our AGM! It is always good to see so many people coming together with the good of our community in mind.

Crime Update

We had a few torrid weeks through November, involving another 4 house burglaries by what would appear to be the same highly skilled and active group of housebreakers, as well as a spate of beach muggings, initially around Hoek area and then further down the beach in the region of the wreck of the Kakapo.

Arrests

We have not had any further incidents of housebreaking in the area since then and we are almost certain that this was the result of a number of efforts, including a great deal of hard work by CPRT and K9 members as well as the deployment of a “tactical unit” in the area by ADT, which came within a hairsbreadth of making an arrest on their first night. Following this, there were further incidents in neighbouring areas up until 2 December, when the combined efforts of San Michelle NW response team members and ADT resulted in a successful arrest. Although we are hopeful that this will mean the end of this particular gang’s activities, we have heard of others using similar methods in Fishoek so can be sure that it is only a matter of time before we see more of the same, so it is important that we all recognise this as a clear reminder of how hard we all have to work to maintain our household and community security. 

Sadly we have just received news of the further theft of pigs from Avondrustvlei Farm but on a more positive note, one of the perpetrators was caught red handed in possession of the pigs heads, so hopefully this will bring an end to the series of incidents at the farm this year!

We released a lengthy statement on the Beach Incidents and our response to them, on 8 December (please read it on our website if you have not done so). Since then, thanks to the hard work of Karen McIntyre in particular, as well as other committee members, we have remained in regular contact with SANParks, who have increased their patrolling activity, and we were successful in getting the SAPS mounted patrol out last week.

However, despite this there was another incident, involving a visiting family staying in Kommetjie, who were robbed at knifepoint by two perpetrators who seem to have been hiding in the wreck. We were dismayed to learn that neither SAPS nor SANParks officers had been briefed to search the wreck, despite it being widely known that this had been used as a hiding place in some of the previous incidents! It therefore does not seem unfair to suggest that there is some room for improvement in terms of coordination when it comes to ensuring security in this large area. We are very grateful to all of those from our area, as well as further afield, who have come forward with a range of initiatives and we are hopeful that we will ultimately be able to work with all the parties involved to find a long-term solution to this problem.

(Just before this newsletter was due to be sent, another incident was reported on social media of a couple with a teenage child being mugged somewhere between the Kakapo wreck and the Noordhoek end of the beach.  The father was stabbed in the hand.)

CPNW Phone Number

As part of our response to the Beach Incidents, we have reactivated our contact number (which had become dormant after years of no calls!), it is: 0817372769. Please store it in your phone and if you see something of concern at the Beach or elsewhere in the area, do let us know!

Thanks

In terms of increased crime fighting capacity, we are hugely grateful to Mike Caffery, one of the owners of the new Jake’s Restaurant for the donation of 4 powerful infra-red thermal imaging cameras, which will significantly enhance our ability to respond to the kind of burglaries we have recently experienced. We are also very thankful to Tone Alexander (well-known landscaper in the area) for his donation of R10 000.00, as well as to Trish Bolleurs for all her support with the K9 unit as well as a generous cash donation and to ZipPrint for the printing of the Beach Safety notices.

Noordhoek Community Centre

Developments at the Noordhoek Community Centre (NCC) are continuing at a steady pace, with Noordhoek Tourism recently moving into the office they have refurbished. We are also in discussion with Volunteer Wildfire Services who are in need of a Base Station in the South Peninsula and we are hopeful that with their help, we could soon see the completion of the entire building. We did note with concern the traffic issues that arose shortly after the opening of the new Jakes restaurant as well as the suggestion that the NCC should provide a solution to the parking problem. This would constitute a violation of our lease agreement with the City and we were left in no doubt that an application to do so would not be supported. We wish Jakes, our new neighbours (and a solidly “local” business) every success for the future!

Take care, Stay Safe

Please do remember that this is usually a high-risk time for crime so please do not neglect your security arrangements amidst all the holiday cheer and if you are going away, please do let your neighbours know what arrangements are in place.

Finally, we hope everyone is having a peaceful and joyous Festive Season and we wish you all the best for 2018!

The CPNW Committee

CPNW Beach Incidents

Date posted: December 8, 2017

Dear Neighbours

As you are, no doubt, well aware there has been worrying resurgence of incidents of muggings on the beach in the last two months, initially at the Chapman’s Peak end, near to bushy areas and on the footpath that leads from Monkey Valley to the Hoek and now more recently further down the beach, mainly close to the wreck of the Kakapo but also between there and the Noordhoek end, especially close to the dunes and wetlands.

Approximate locations of the beach attacks we have been able to verify

Different perpetrators

From eyewitness accounts, the perpetrators have not always been the same, with at least three parties involved, some of whom work individually and others in pairs. In all cases the perpetrators have been armed with knives or screwdrivers and attacks have been on individuals or couples, particularly those carrying cameras and other items of value.

One account described a tall, dark skinned male who wandered slowly up and down the beach and then quickly accelerated behind anyone he thought was particularly vulnerable, whilst in other cases the perpetrators appear to have emerged suddenly from hiding places in the dunes, bushes, or the wreck. There has been at least one attempt on horse riders and it is also clear that the presence of dogs has not deterred the attackers.

What has been done?

As CPNW, we have obviously been extremely disturbed by these events and, as in the past when this has happened, we will do what we can to assist in preventing any further attacks. As such, we have already taken a number of steps, as follows:

• Assessment of the area: With the use of a helicopter, we were able to undertake a low-level assessment of the area. It is clear that the “wetlands” areas of Masiphumelele adjoin the wetlands below the sewerage farm, with many pathways between this area, the beach and the boundaries of our area. The wetlands and beach constitute a vast area of approximately 15-20km2 and the distance between our end and the wreck is at least 3,5km. Although the bush is relatively thin, there are numerous places to hide.
• Collaboration with other NW’s: We are actively communicating with Neighbourhood Watch representatives from other areas in Noordhoek and in Kommetjie with a number of additional initiatives in development.
• Liaison with SANParks: The beach and wetlands, aside from being a National Heritage site, are part of Table Mountain National Park and thus are under the jurisdiction of SANParks who effectively control all movement and activities in the area. We have met several times already with local and senior management at SANParks to raise our concerns and to explore various strategies, including the following:
  • Increase in ranger patrols and the presence of a ranger who has specialised tracking skills that have proven effective in the past. This has been done although perhaps not to the levels that we would prefer, due to ‘resource constraints”.
  • Permission to have volunteer patrollers in the area on foot or horseback: This was agreed to although it was stressed that this must be on an “eyes and ears” basis only.
  • Community funding of additional SANParks ranger or of private security officers: We are still awaiting a response.
  • The use of drones: This is being considered but if permission is given, they would require the pilot to have a commercial licence and for indemnity insurance to be taken out.
  • The use of vehicles (primarily quadbikes) on the beach and in the wetlands: They would be happy for one or two named individuals to use some of their service roads in the wetlands but would need to first meet and brief these people. However the use of vehicles on the beach requires specific permission from the Dept of Environmental Affairs and has, to date, not been approved anywhere.
• Investigation of Horse Patrols by SAPS: We have been in direct contact with the SAPS Horse Patrol Unit. We were informed that their deployment is generally booked in advance, with about a 3-month waiting list and it usually is done via the local SAPS. We have ensured this request has gone through and were given reason to believe that this may still be possible. We are very grateful to those who have offered stabling as this may aid our case!
• Partnership with the Shark Spotters: We have set this up, supplied them with a cell-phone with key numbers loaded and we have briefed them on what to look out for and what action to take. This does need to be relatively discreet, given the vulnerable and isolated position they are in.
• Volunteers patrolling: We are very grateful to Sonnette Hill, whose Noordhoeked project has already done great work in keeping the beach clean, for her help in recruiting volunteers who will be walking the beach 4 times per day, equipped with radios we have supplied.
• Drones: Aside from discussing this with SANParks, we have consulted with a professional drone-filming company and several individuals with expertise in the field. Although this sounds like an attractive option, the consensus is that a standard drone would not be useful; as its flight-time is very limited, so would not have much time in the air once it had got to the crime scene and the cameras would not have the required power to identify people hiding in the bush. The kind of drone required would be prohibitively expensive and difficult to get hold of.  Additional challenges include the requirement to register the drone with the Civil Aviation Authority and to log flight plans in order to fly legally.  The southeaster is also a factor given that few drones are capable of flying in high winds.
• Signage: We will be placing improved signage with our cell contact number at various entry routes to the beach to complement the existing warning signs.
• CPNW Cell-phone: We have reactivated our contact number (which had become dormant after years of no calls!), it is: 0817372769

Next Steps

We are continuing to meet and discuss strategies with a wide range of stakeholders, including SAPS, SANParks and representatives of both the City and Provincial Departments and we will continue to provide information on what progress has been made. Whilst cooperation has thus far been reasonable, should we feel the situation is not being adequately addressed we may call on everyone to begin an email campaign to ensure that our voices are heard.

We are very grateful to everyone who has donated or offered to donate money for Beach Patrols and to Sonnette Hill who has been collecting funds. We hope to be able to use this to pay for additional professional security.

Volunteers

Although we are trying to do as much as we can, we do need to stress to everyone concerned that, as CPNW we are an organisation of VOLUNTEERS, whose mandate is primarily the safety and security of the Chapman’s Peak Area and not the beach.

With the vast majority of our work being carried out by 12 Committee members, we cannot possibly suddenly take responsibility for the entire beach area. So whilst we will do what we can, we must ask all of those demanding action to please step up to the plate themselves and to add offers of action to the demands!

We would also urge everyone to respect everyone’s right to be on the beach, as long as they are behaving in a lawful manner and to themselves behave in a manner that does uphold the law, even when acting to apprehend a suspect.

Working with the CPNW K9 Unit – Guidelines

Date posted: November 21, 2017

The CPNW K9 unit is always on standby for first level response to any crime scene or for community assistance. The dogs and handlers have been trained to man-trail from a scented item and have successfully accomplished tracking exercises well in excess of 3 km through varying terrain.

To date the K9 unit has assisted in the location of missing persons, property and livestock. They have also been used to establish the modus operandi of crimes in the neighborhood.

How it works

The dog scents either from an item that has been handled by a person or  from an area with recent footprints.

The dog will track on the most recent scent, so there are a few simple but extremely important steps to follow in order to ensure a successful trail.

Rules for Successful Tracking

1.    Establish a perimeter around the crime scene and try as much as possible to keep unauthorized personnel away from the scene until the dog and handler have arrived.

2.    In the event of a break-in, advise the handler of where the break-in entry and exit points are. The dog can scent off items such as windowsills, chairs etc.

3.    Identify items that can be used for scenting but don’t touch or move them around. The dog is trained to follow the most recent scent on the item. If you do inadvertently touch an item please stay at the scene until the dog arrives. This enables the dog to eliminate you as a person to track.

4.    If stolen items such as TVs, phones, etc, are found in the general vicinity, please radio in the information, but don’t move or touch the stolen item. If the item is valuable, stand a short distance away to guard it and wait for either the dog team to arrive or permission via the radio controller to remove it. A moved item is no good for scenting because the scent trail will have been broken.

5.    Please put your own dogs or cats away in a separate room until the tracking has commenced.

6.    The dogs are in work mode, please do not pet or feed them!

CPNW NEWSLETTER – 23 OCTOBER 2017

Date posted: October 23, 2017

Dear Neighbours

Since our last newsletter we have unfortunately seen further increases in three distinct forms of criminal activity:

• Break-ins to unprotected properties
• Housebreakings of a particularly sophisticated nature
• Opportunistic daytime muggings

Break-ins

In the first category we have noted further stock-theft from Avondrust Farm, which happened when an alarm system was deactivated, a further break-in to the Riding Association building (which we are pleased to hear will soon be alarmed), to the buildings at the sports fields, an attempted copper-pipe theft at a building that is being renovated, the theft of tools from the garage of a house being renovated and a vehicle break-in in the early hours of 14 October in the Beach Parking area.

It has also been distressing to record the two most recent break-ins that we have had which seem to mirror those we experienced earlier in the year and which we had noted were taking place in surrounding areas in the preceding weeks. The first of these took place on 16 October in Acacia Street, where the perpetrators broke into a house where the alarm had not been put on by removing a window pane.

They seem to have wandered about inside the house and removed various items of value, including a flat-screen TV and a wallet, despite the presence of the occupants and two dogs, who all remained asleep.

In the second such incident which took place in the early hours of 19 October, the perpetrators seem to have successfully penetrated alarm systems by using a circuitous route via a building site and possibly under a hedge where beams in the garden could not reach them. In this incident a young member of the household was woken up and managed to raise the alarm via Facebook, but by the time ADT and other res[ponders arrived, there was no sign of the intruders who managed to get away with a flat-screen TV and an iPad.

Muggings

Also of concern, after the two incidents of daytime muggings reported last month was the assault and attempted robbery on a teenager on the Common (happily the perpetrator came off second-best!) the mugging of two people on the beach by two men armed with knives (slightly built males, dark complexion, one in blue overalls and one in shorts) at about 1300 on 12 October and an intruder spotted on a property in Beach Rd during the day on 14 October.

And this afternoon, 23 October, news came in of the mugging of a family near the Kakapo wreck on Long Beach near Kommetjie at knife point.  No-one was hurt but items including a phone were taken.

Skilled Criminals

We have to admit that the housebreakings have left us in no doubt that we are dealing with a group (or at least a pair) of extremely skilled criminals who will be very difficult to stop. However, together with neighbouring NW’s, we have come very close to catching them a few times and we have managed to gather a significant amount of information about them:

• There are at least two individuals involved,
• They are both of complexion and very slight build, with footprints of about size 6 shoes.
• They wear blue plastic surgical-type gloves during activities
• At least one of them smokes heavily
• They tend to stash items in the bush after break-ins and return later to collect these
• They seem to enter and leave areas on foot but may be supported by a vehicle
• They are skilled at penetrating alarm systems and tend to break in by removing window-panes.
• They are extremely quiet and able to move around and remove items without waking sleeping occupants and their animals

Actions to take

This points to a few key actions, which, coming as they do at a time when we are becoming aware of further breakdowns in policing capacity as well as a deteriorating political and economic landscape, we all need to consider with some urgency:

• Ensure everyone in the family has access to emergency numbers and are on local “Community Connector” groups and know how to get help in an emergency.
• If you do not have a radio, please consider getting one.
• If you do have one please make sure it is always charged and that everyone in the family can use it. Get everyone to practice by doing regular radio checks!
• Check alarm and security systems and consider bring in a security expert to review your systems and recommend possible upgrades where necessary. (Especially when there is building going on nearby.)
• Report any signs of unusual or suspicious activity you note in the area. This includes noting tracks of people in unusual places, signs of stuff hidden away and suspicious individuals who may be doing surveillance.

Daytime vigilance

With regard to the latter point, daytime vigilance is perhaps the most key area where we can really up our game and also combat the growing scourge of daytime muggings.

We would therefore encourage everyone to respond to this by (insofar as can be done safely) increasing our presence in the streets and public spaces of our lovely area. We must secure our ownership of these places so they are safe for the more vulnerable in our community to use!

In this vein we would encourage those with radios to use any opportunity to do random daytime patrols and to take radios along when going out for walks, or riding in the area (of course taking care not to have the radio stolen!).

Having said this we must also reiterate that whilst we encourage everyone to investigate and report anything suspicious we do urge you to show respect and courtesy when making enquiries and to remember that our first goal is always to grow support for our anti-crime efforts!

“K9” Successes

On a happier note, we would like to applaud the exceptional work of our “K9” tracker-dog team! Not only have their efforts been key in building up the information we have on recent housebreakings, but they were successful in tracking down large stashes of high-value items from break-ins in surrounding areas and were also real heroes in finding a missing teenager in the early hours one morning.

Finally a bit of housekeeping:

• Thanks to those (not contributing via ADT) who have given us an annual donation – every cent helps!  (Bank details on the website.)
• We would like to invite everyone to our AGM, which will be at Monkey Valley from 630 for 7 on 20 November. Please put it in your diaries and do make an effort to come. We need your support!

Finally, people often ask what to look out for in crime incidents.  Attached are two useful charts with guidelines on how to report details of criminals and cars.

The CPNW Team.

CPNW’s K9 Tracker Saves the Day (or Night)

Date posted: September 18, 2017

Charlee the Australian Cattle Dog has been taking her human, Ollie Wright, to “Man Trailing” training for the past year and the CPNW team call them to help whenever there’s an emergency.

On September 16, 2017, the CPNW radio group reported that a 16 year old girl had gone missing.  She had been staying with a friend who had noticed that she’d disappeared in the early hours of the morning.

The concerned friend and family called ADT to help search for the girl and they were joined by members of the community…  Charlee (and Ollie) were also called and they arrived on the scene at about 01h00.

Charlee was shown some clothes that the girl had been wearing the day before (and that hadn’t been touched by anyone else).  Having scented the articles thoroughly, Charlee initially trailed into the garden, then exited the premises and headed down the dark street.

About a block away, Charlee turned abruptly into a secluded driveway, sat and gave her sign of positive indication.  Torchlight revealed the missing girl who was physically fine and was reunited with her family.

The search only took about ten minutes.

Brilliant work Charlee!  All that training of your handler has really paid off!

CPNW NEWSLETTER – 11 SEPTEMBER 2017

Date posted: September 11, 2017

Dear Neighbours

In the rather long period since the last newsletter (humble apologies!) we have fortunately seen an abatement of housebreaking spree that this area and our neighbours were experiencing but we have seen a steady stream of incidents that seem to characterise some of the broader crime trends in the country.

Incidents

There was another attempted burglary at the end of June when a rock was thrown through a window in Keurboom Rd, which activated the alarm and the perpetrator was seen fleeing the scene.

On July 12, a suspect was arrested with the assistance of community members and ADT, after reportedly initially refusing to leave a property that he had entered illegally (he was deterred by the owner’s dogs). After a long wait for SAPS the suspect was eventually detained and then found to have an extensive criminal background. We appreciate the support and perseverance of everyone involved in the rather difficult case! Regardless of the final outcome, we feel that what action has taken place has already sent out an important message.

In an incident that again saw the intervention of both community members and ADT, on 17 July two boys were accosted near the Post office Building behind the Farm Village. One was thrown to the ground and had his phone taken, whilst the other managed to get help. The arrival of community members and a Patrol Officer from ADT then led to one suspect being apprehended and the second later being identified through the vehicle he was driving.

In a third incident for the month, on July 27, ladders and paint were stolen from a building site in Rupert way, quick action by a member of the community who spotted the perpetrators and called ADT, led to retrieval of the items although no arrests. On the same day, fences had reportedly been cut on Avondrustvlei Farm.

On August 10 a bakkie was stolen outside of a house in Lindum Close, not long after it had been parked there. Fortunately the vehicle was equipped with a tracking device which resulted in the tracking company and SAPS recovering the car and making arrests.

On August 16 a woman was accosted on Mountain Rd, the perpetrator took her bag but ran off, dropping it, when a vehicle came past. Then, on 19 August, the hire care of a tourist couple was broken into outside of the farm village, with valuable camera equipment stolen, possible after having been followed from elsewhere.

More recently, we have been informed of another break-in at the Riding Association Buildings and of the theft of another pig from Avondrustvlei Farm.

Trends

We thus seem to have seen a shift from the targeted housebreakings we were experiencing in the area, to a pattern of more opportunistic crimes plus some that seem to have involved the following of vehicles into the area.

It is heartening to note that in at least two thirds of those reported, the crimes were unsuccessful, or arrests were made, due to the actions of community members. Whilst it may be difficult to totally prevent some of the more endemic forms of crime in our country, we can at least know that our actions are having a tangible effect on one another’s safety even when incidents do occur. Although the degree to which we can actually develop a reputation of being an area that is high-risk for criminals, we have regularly seen an improvement in crime stats after repeated attempts in the area have been foiled by our actions. 

Uptake of Radios

It is thus great to note that we now have a total of 171 radio users, which makes up well over 50% of our membership, which also now consists of the vast majority of residents in the area. Although it is a hassle to keep one’s radio charged and switched on, and to do a regular radio check, and to report and follow-up on crime and do all the other things we, as CPNW ask everyone to do, it is all these small efforts that in the end make it a pleasure to live in a community where we feel supported by one another.

So please do continue to contribute to community efforts in whatever ways you can! On that note please make sure you have looked at the helpful guide to emergency numbers of our website and put them in your phone:  https://cpnw.org.za/how-to-call-for-help/

Please do ask our ADT Officers to check out anything that raises concern (also taking some time to let them know how we value them), and do let your neighbours know about it!

Voluntary Contributions – Reminder!

Although we run a tight ship (as evidenced by the financial report at the AGM) we would like to increase our camera and Roboguard numbers to layer our security throughout Chapman’s Peak in a more efficient and effective manner.  Last year we had a number of donations from residents who said that they’d like to continue to donate on an annual basis, providing they were reminded to do so. 

Here’s the reminder! 

Our bank details are:

Chapman’s Peak Neighbourhood Watch
Standard Bank
Fish Hoek 036009
Current a/c 270 364 439

Wishing everyone a lovely Spring time…

The CPNW Committee

How to call for help

Date posted: July 19, 2017

Emergency Services

When an emergency occurs, who do you call?  First of all, you can contact SAPS or your private security company.  Here’s a useful list of contacts:

Radio

To alert the neighbourhood watch, put out a call on the radio network (Channel 8 for Chapman’s Peak and DASCRO; Channel 7 for San Michel). 

To get a radio, go to the website (www.cpnw.org), register and click the Radio Network link.

You can also message the CPNW Radio Users WhatsApp group.  Contact Patrick Wright with your contact details to be added to the group.  (me@patrickwright.co.za)

Connectors

Everyone should belong to a Community Connectors WhatsApp group – if you don’t have one for your street or you don’t know who to talk to, contact the CPNW coordinator: Lynne Hogan (+27 72 905 4676) and she’ll get you set up.

ADT uses Link App & ADT Control Room number no longer Private

Date posted: July 18, 2017

ADT is now using the Link App for the Noordhoek Community. Click on the picture below to read the instructions how to install “Link”.

ADT has no longer a private number for the outgoing calls of the Control room.

Instead of “Withheld” or “Private” you will see 087 808 0808,  just add this number to your contacts to see it is ADT calling.

It is an outgoing number only, so you cannot use it to call ADT. Use 086 1212300 for emergency or 086 1212301 for non emergency calls.

CPNW Newsletter – 27 June 2017

Date posted: June 27, 2017

Dear Neighbours

Crime Spree

As most will know, the day after our last newsletter (in which we alerted members to concerns of an impending surge in incidents) were hit by a crime spree that has been unprecedented in our 10 years as a neighbourhood watch. This began on 9 May when a house in Hurter Ave was broken into during daytime hours and a number of precious items were removed.

12 May – 3 Incidents

Then on the morning of 12 May at about 4 am, members were responding to reports of an intruder in Dunedin Avenue when another break-in was reported in Rupert Way, where a cell phone was taken before alarms were triggered and then, in the general response to the radio call out, members of another household in the same area discovered that they had been broken into earlier in the night with a large amount of goods removed, earlier in the night, whilst they were asleep.

This last incident took place in an apparently well-secured home via the removal of a window that had not been alarmed. Despite an excellent response by a large number of CPNW members, and an initial close shave, no one was apprehended.

18 May – Multiple Incidents

On 18 May, further attempts in the same area triggered alarms in Willoughby Rd and in Dunedin, as did an attempt in Acacia Ave on May 23. This was followed by numerous reports of apparently highly sophisticated and brazen housebreakings taking placed at a number of locations in the San Michelle and Dassenberg areas.

The pattern that emerged was of multiple break-ins, on a single night, to premises that often had alarm systems, with the removal of doors and windows and the theft of large, high-value items whilst the occupants were sleeping. It would seem that generally the perpetrators were entering areas on foot via greenbelts and avoiding roads as much as possible.

9 June – Multiple Incidents

We were subjected to another spree on the night of 9 and 10 June when large screen TV’s were removed from two houses in Malabar Close and intrusions were also reported from properties in Pine Rd and in Francisca Lane. Fortunately the perpetrators were spotted by an ADT patroller whilst in the process of removing the TV’s which were recovered but despite a great turn-out when the alarm was raised, they again managed to escape.

The following night there were further attempts in San Michelle, with pursuit of the perpetrators into the area of the Dassenberg Koppies. Despite a huge response to the call out to surround the area and the assistance of the K9 unit, they again managed to escape but a number of laptops and stolen items were retrieved.

Kommetjie Arrest

Thus far we have not had news of further similar break-ins in the Noordhoek area but this incident was followed by a further series of attempts of a similar nature in Kommetjie with a successful arrest in the most recent incident. So were are hopeful that we have, at the very least, made it clear to this gang that the Noordhoek areas are not going to be an easy ride for them and with any luck the arrest has been key in stopping this gang’s activities.

Ongoing Opportunistic Crime

There have however, been ongoing incidents of daytime, opportunistic crimes such as the theft of laundry from a line on 25 May in Hurter Ave and a Mountain Bike stolen in Mountain Rd on June 26.

This has, to say the least, been rather a shock for our relatively low-crime area! On the positive side it has woken us all up to the reality of the crime situation in our country, with a big increase in membership to almost 100% of residents and most pleasing is the fact that we now have over 160 radio users, in our area with many ready to respond when a call for help is received.

This is wonderfully reassuring but we would like to remind everyone to please take care: we all tend to get very angry when these things happen and rather brave when joining the hue and cry – whilst we don’t want to deter anyone, please do remember that these are dangerous criminals we may encounter and our role is simply to call for help if we see anything – nothing more!

Activate your Alarm

It has hopefully also given us all a wake-up call in terms of ensuring that properties are well-secured and that perimeter alarms are in place. Sadly in at least 5 of the incidents, alarms were either not activated or non-existent.

Social Media

Less positive has been some inappropriate use of social media (please do have a look at the piece on “conduct” we published in May) and some of the uninformed commentary, particularly regarding the trustworthiness of ADT. As promised, we have received feedback from ADT on investigations into 3 incidents where suspicions were raised about ADT’s alarm installation division possibly being involved.

Whilst we cannot release details due to confidentiality agreements, we are satisfied that the incidents were adequately investigated and that there is little reason to suspect that the perpetrators received assistance from anyone at ADT. In one case the possibility that the break-in was as a result of poor advice on alarm installation by the ADT salesperson has been conceded by ADT, who asked the clients to complete a claim form which has now been handed over to their loss-adjusters.

We have since received information about another member who has left ADT due to frustrations related to alarm connection and we have asked for feedback on this too. We would also like to stress that contracting with ADT for Armed Response Services in no way requires that the alarm installation is done by ADT’s Alarm Installation Service. 

ADT Agreement

To reiterate our position with regard to ADT: We established a collective agreement with them nearly 10 years ago, which enabled us to secure a dedicated patrol vehicle in the area at all times and a second vehicle at night. This agreement is based on there being a sufficient number of ADT clients in the area.

We monitor the activities of their vehicles and we meet with them on a monthly basis to discuss any issues of concern relating to their services in our area. When we established this agreement, we did invite rival companies to match or better what ADT was offering us and none were able to.

To date we have not been able to identify any other company that can be relied upon to offer a better service. As volunteers, the Committee members have our hands full simply trying to keep CPNW running as it is, and we do not have the time to be continually searching for an alternative service provider – but we would welcome anyone who would be willing to take this on!

The challenge would be to find a better provider and to prove this to enough of our members to be able to get everyone on board in shifting to another company, which is no small task.

Constructive Debate

We welcome discussion and debate about how to make our area more secure but we challenge everybody to do more than simply writing derogatory comments and hitting the send button. More than anything else, we believe that it is our strength as a collective that makes our area safer than most in this country.

So, when posting on social media, please consider carefully whether your comments are really going to add to our strength as a community or to undermine it?

Thanks

Lastly thanks to the NRPA for their donation of much-needed furniture to our Community Hall and to all those who continue to work on it! We are looking forward to the next exciting steps in this development.

Wishing you a safe (and quieter!!) July!