AfriForum’s neighbourhood watches in Grootfontein, Apies River, Bronkhorstspruit, Meyerspark, the Moot, West Moot, Pretoria East and West, as well as Rayton and Cullinan in cooperation with many other safety organisations, among which the Tshwane Metro Police, the national traffic police and the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Tshwane Metro, participated in the civil rights watchdog’s national mass patrol on 4 August 2017.
The Grootfontein neighbourhood watch also introduced its tracking dog Tinta to the community after which she also participated in the patrol. Tinta’s duties will amongst others include tracking, pursuing fugitive suspects and tracking down stolen goods.
Approximately 624 patrollers covered more than 9 200 km and successfully handled 25 incidents. The SAPS also carried out five arrests. These incidents include, amongst others, drunken-driving, arson and the identification of unroadworthy vehicles.
“This is a good example of how effective safety organisations can be if they strive after one goal. Crime affects everyone and as such communities must stand together in the battle to combat it,” says Lambert de Klerk, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for Gauteng North.
AfriForum would like to thank each neighbourhood watch member, the Tshwane Metro Police, the national traffic police, the SAPS and each private organisation for their participation in the national mass patrol.
The civil rights organisation is making a plea to the various communities of the Tshwane Metro to become involved with their local AfriForum branches and neighbourhood watches and to actively participate in the activities of the neighbourhood watches. For more information in this regard, send an email to lambert@antiek.afriforum.co.za.