Date posted: October 23, 2024
Dear NeighboursCrime Update
We have recorded two incidents since our last newsletter. The first took place at Monkey Valley in the early evening of 23 September, when a guest cottage was broken into whilst the residents were out. An outdoor shower-pipe was used as a crowbar to open a side window.
Stolen items included jewellery, cash in euros, an iPad and ear pods. A number of other possessions, including passports, were found discarded in the area. A tracker in one of the stolen items revealed that the suspect(s) had fled along the beach path and then climbed up to Chapmans Peak Drive, where they were picked up.
Further follow-up on the tracker was traced to Masiphumelele. But despite a raid by SAPS, there has been no further success.
The second incident took place on 11 October at 6 am but was only discovered some time later because a vehicle door was left open. Camera footage revealed a female suspect believed to have been seen previously in the area operating as a bin-picker.
She had entered the property by climbing through a gate, found a vehicle door unlocked and searched it for items, then tried to open another vehicle. She then seemed to probe other areas of the property before being deterred by dogs and the sounding of an alarm.
These incidents typify two of the three most common types of crime in the area, the third being vehicle break-ins. Opportunistic crimes have reduced since we established a culture of keeping bins off the street overnight, but we have noticed an increasing number of people wandering through the area again in recent months, with some reports that people may be sleeping rough at various locations.
Prevention of Illegal Land Occupation
Whilst we recognise the rights of anyone to walk around in the area and expect our service providers and members to treat them with respect, this does not include living on City or SANParks property, which is an issue best dealt with as promptly as possible.
Our understanding is that the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act (PIE) of 1998, which regulates land occupation rights, defines Unlawful Occupation as the occupation of land without the owner’s permission, whether this permission is explicit or tacit. Owners are considered to have given tacit permission if they are aware of an illegal occupier but do nothing to stop the occupation. This means that the longer any property is occupied, the greater the chance of the occupier being viewed as having tacit permission, making eviction far more difficult.
We thus urge anyone to report immediately if they become aware of, or suspect, someone is staying overnight on City or Table Mountain National Park land in this area. If the land involves the beach, dunes, wetlands, or mountainside above Chapman’s Peak Drive or above the beach at the Hoek, please report it:
- By phone to Table Mountain National Park head office at 021 712 0527
and
- By WhatsApp message to 071 807 8374
If it is on any other land in the area, please report it to City Law Enforcement at 021 596 1999.
Collective Security
Keeping one’s private premises secure is of course the other key to reducing opportunistic theft and vandalism, especially in the case of more sophisticated burglaries, where alarms and outdoor sensors in particular are strongly recommended. We run the risk, however, of constantly having to spend more on home security while steadily retreating into our bunkers. unless we continue to invest in collective ways to improve security in the area, which impacts all kinds of crime.
Our approach, in this respect, involves a few key principles. These are:
- A community focus
- Multiple layering
- Continual innovation
Community Focus
In terms of community focus, one of our first steps was to develop collective bargaining agreements with selected security providers to guarantee dedicated vehicles in our area and services that are appropriate to our needs and supportive of the measures we are putting in place. We also work hard to keep neighbours communicating with CPNW and with each other through the WhatsApp Community Connector Groups.
We believe that as a community we hold considerable resources, not only material but also in terms of broader intelligence, ability and skills. These would be wasted if we were simply try to emulate the roles of SAPS or security companies.
Multiple Layering
Although we do maintain capacity for patrol and response activities, this is by no means our only focus. Whilst not everyone is willing to rush out with a torch and radio in the middle of the night, the simplest of skills – such as being adept on social media, handy with cameras, good at negotiating business agreements or happy to phone people and collect data – can do far more in the long run to help fight crime consistently. So, we continue to develop a wide range of initiatives. Many of these have the potential to develop into self-contained projects, making it easier for more people to get involved with minimal time spent in meetings! This creates a multilayered and sustainable protection against crime, bringing together as many factors as possible to reduce the likelihood of crime in our community.
Innovation
We also recognise that criminal minds are always trying to innovate, and crime is escalating both nationally and locally. It is critical that we remain one step ahead. Thus we welcome ideas and are always keen to investigate and support new initiatives. But to do so we need to keep growing in a way that is manageable for us all.
With every additional person who comes on board we get stronger, whilst putting less load on individual members and at the same time making it a natural part of life in Noordhoek!
Annual General Meeting
On that note, we invite you to our AGM, to be held on 18 November 2024 at 18h30 for 19h00 at the Noordhoek Community Centre.
Please note this in your diary and make a special effort to attend!
Wishing everyone a safe month.
The CPNW Committee
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