CPNW NEWSLETTER – AUGUST 2023

Date posted: August 27, 2023

Dear Neighbours

Crime Update

Aside from the attempted mugging at the Beach on 3 August, which we publicised as a crime warning via all our channels, we are not aware of any other incidents of crime in the area since our last newsletter. Although we have not yet received any suspect “identikit or sketch”, the description of the alleged perpetrator sounded familiar to many in the area, and we are optimistic that he will struggle to return here without detection.

Despite some difficulty we were able to identify the suspect vehicle regarding the car break-in reported last month related to a jamming device. The suspect number plate has been reported as belonging to a vehicle linked to a crime incident (something that is only possible once a case has been opened) and the number plate is now loaded on licence plate recognition systems across the city, so we will be alerted in future if it is identified in our area.

We have since then also upgraded the camera covering the beach parking area and it now has a much better range of vision.

Fortunately, measures taken along Noordhoek Main Road seem to have paid off and we have had no further reports of muggings along this road.

Buzzer

Our most exciting news this month, which hopefully most of you are already on board with, has been the introduction of the widely acclaimed Buzzer app for smart phone users in our area. This is the result of a joint initiative with San Michelle, DASCRO and Milkwood Park neighbourhood watch groups who will be involved in responses to incidents in their areas.

There are huge advantages to having this app active in our area:

• It can be used in the area by anyone who has downloaded the free app (as CPNW we pay a monthly service fee), whether they are residents, guests, employees or short-term visitors.


• It is activated simply by opening the app and either pressing an SOS alert, which also has a countdown for cancellation in the event of a false alarm, or by pressing the + button at the bottom of the screen to report less important concerns.


• Both options will result in an alert being sent, together with your geo-located position to a control room (Deep Blue Security in the CPNW area) and they will then call you back.


• In the case of an emergency, response vehicles and the relevant services will be located, and your position will be given to available responders in CPNW.


• The reporting function allows instant and easy reporting of any kind of suspicious activity. It also allows the reporting of other concerns such as burst water pipes, etc.


• A portable alert button can also be purchased for those who don’t wish to carry their phones.

The app has proven enormously successful in other areas, and we hope to see similar results in Noordhoek. Its success, however, depends entirely on a critical mass of people making use of it. So, if you haven’t already downloaded it, please do so today, and get you family, neighbours, visitors and employees to do so too!!

Further information can be found on our website at: https://cpnw.org.za/buzzer/

Connector Groups

We are still working very hard to build up our connector groups. It is hard to believe that so many cannot see the value of connecting to a local neighbourly group, but we continue to persevere with this initiative, street by street! We realise that these groups can get disrupted as people leave the neighbourhood and others move in, but this is another aspect of developing a healthy community that really demands everyone’s participation.

So PLEASE make new arrivals feel welcome and let them know that we believe in COMMUNITY. Tell them about CPNW (and all the other great community groups in our area) and ask them to sign in on our website, download the Buzzer App and join your local Connector Group. All of this comes free of charge and only requires understanding that we all need one another to make things better.

Caring for Vulnerable Residents

We have also realised that we have many older and sometimes less able residents in our community, some of whom may struggle to use social media and are thus less easy to contact. They may also be more vulnerable individuals who lack social support. In the few cases we have become aware of in the past, we have been able to assist very meaningfully when concerns have arisen, and we would like to develop into a community able to support each other in this way.

This becomes particularly urgent when we face crises such as the fires in 2015 and Covid in 2020. We would thus like to develop a database with contact details of vulnerable residents in our community so that we know who might need support or special help in an emergency.

Ideally, we would like to put a small group together to manage this and keep in touch with anyone who is particularly vulnerable. If this is something you might be able to help with, please let us know.

It was good (if short-lived at the time of writing this!!) to at least be experiencing a few sunny days, so here’s wishing everyone a safe and lovely Spring!

The CPNW Committee