Date posted: January 23, 2022
Dear Neighbours,Incidents Update
Thankfully, after the rather frightening Home Invasion and burglaries in December, things have been relatively quiet, with two possible incidents we are aware of. The first involved four men who were spotted trespassing at Monkey Valley on the night of 6 January. They reportedly fled the scene when they realised they had been spotted and no further incidents were reported.
The second was a report of a possible intruder in Protea Avenue of 24 December, although no thefts seem to have taken place.
Connector Groups and Radios
We are very grateful to everyone who responded to our alerts by connecting with neighbours through the connector groups and by checking in on the radio network.
We note from the uptick in requests for batteries and other radio assistance that more than a few neighbourhood radios have been gathering dust in bottom drawers, which is a wonderful tribute to how quiet the last few years have been crime wise, but it was good to see how quickly we were able get a healthy network back up and running.
It was also especially good to hear users responding to one-another’s radio checks, without necessarily waiting for a radio coordinator to respond. Whilst, in an active incident situation, It is critical to have centralised coordination, to respect radio silence and to take direction from a Radio Coordinator, the reality is that, as a volunteer group we cannot always guarantee that a coordinator would immediately be available, so the more we all develop the capacity to interact on the radios to do checks and if necessary, in an emergency, to “hold the fort” until a coordinator come online, the better!
Radio Checks
We would encourage everyone with radios, to do a radio check in on a monthly basis, ideally between 7 and 9pm. It is very reassuring, especially if one is home alone, to hear that there is a network of people listening out if you need help!
Radio Recap
A quick recap on the radio network:
The dedicated CPNW Channel is Channel 8. We advise members to sleep with their radios switched on and dialled to Channel 8, on but with chargers off between 2100 and 7am and to maintain silence during these hours unless it is for an emergency, or a high level of concern regarding suspicious activity.
For a less urgent matter but where something raises your concerns and you would like it checked out (strange noises, dogs barking unexpectedly etc) the Security Company Patrol Officers can be contacted directly on Channel 13 – the radio coordinators will generally also pick up these communications so this is also being monitored by our team.
We do not advise using the WhatsApp groups for emergency matters. If you are not already a member of our network and you would like to get a radio and join up, please go onto our website (www.cpnw.org.za) and click on the tab!
Street Cameras
In further security developments we have installed further street cameras in Protea Avenue and are busy with a licence plate recognition camera overlooking the entrance to the Beach Parking entrance.
This is a strategy we will continue to pursue actively with an ultimate goal of being able to monitor our entire area with cameras, which we think will be key to future security. On that note, we thank those (members who do not make contributions via their security company) who have already submitted a once-off yearly payment of R360, every cent we raise improves safety and security in our neighbourhood!
Street Patrols
We are grateful to everyone who helped out with patrolling on Thursday evenings and Friday mornings! It was very reassuring to know that our Response Team members are ready and so willing to help at short notice! During our patrols we engaged with a number of individuals who were involved in sorting through refuse, most of whom were quite convincing as being legitimately involved in this activity.
We try to encourage them to work carefully without making a mess and to inform us of anyone they see in the area who they do not recognise as legitimately there to sort through rubbish. We are concerned however, at the high numbers of residents who still put their bins out on Thursday evenings, as this encourages people to come in throughout the night, which is obviously problematic, not only in terms of providing cover for criminals but also because it tends to disturb dogs in the neighbourhood and on windy nights, results in rubbish being spread all over the place!
As far as we are aware, there is no collection taking place before 7am, so little need for the rubbish to be out all night. (We realise of course that we are generally speaking to the converted here, so where one does see this occurring, a quite word or a note stating simply: “To reduce night-time activity and the associated crime risk, Chapmans Peak Neighbourhood Watch respectfully asks that you refrain from leaving your rubbish out overnight. Thank you!”
As mentioned previously, we realise the issue of how to deal with “bin-pickers” and the associated crime issue is fraught with controversy. We believe, however, that with the right energy and focus, members of our community could quite easily find solutions that involve supporting recycling activities whilst addressing the associated problems and ideally enabling “bin pickers” to see themselves as part of our community, with an investment is supporting us as residents in keeping our area clean and safe.
As a community, we have in Noordhoek, put together a range of creative initiatives that have seen huge improvements in our area but this only happens when people are willing to step forward and take on a challenge! Please let us know if you would be interested and we will give you all our support!!
No doubt everyone is suffering in the heat at the moment. Please do note that this does come with an increased fire hazard (particularly when the wind picks up just after everything have been dried out), so please be extremely vigilant and, in the cooler hours, think about:
- Emptying gutters of potentially flammable pile of leaves
- Cutting back branches that could spread flames onto your house.
- Check that your local hydrant is accessible and in a functional state
- Clearing away piles of dried-out vegetation
- Ensuring any fire extinguishers or other fire-fighting equipment is available and in working order
- Make sure you have emergency numbers available (check out the website)
Community Centre
Finally, thank you to everyone who is making such good use of the Community Centre!
This is now becoming a significant way of raising funds for security measures as well as form making continuous improvements to this lovely community resource. For Bridge enthusiasts, the Bridge Club will be running again on Fridays between 11:30 and 12:30. If anyone would like to join in, please contact Karen at: karenmacintyre05@gmail.com .
Wishing everyone a safe February!!
The CPNW Committee
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