The AfriForum neighbourhood watch in Bothaville last week arrested various suspects. On 4 March there was an incident during which thieves stole goods from the back of a bakkie. With the help of cameras that the AfriForum branch purchased and that is monitored by AlarmPro, the suspects were quickly identified. The alleged thieves however resumed their offences on 5 March and were spotted walking down the street. A security company and the neighbourhood watch reacted and were able to arrest one person and hand him over to the SAPS. Unfortunately, the other suspect managed to escape.
The neighbourhood watch cornered cable thieves on 5 March, while on the same day they also received a call from the public informing them that arsonists were responsible for a fire in a nearby veldt. The neighbourhood watch’s proto team and security reacted and discovered a man that was busy burning copper cables. The person was subsequently arrested.
“We are currently making use of AfriForum’s cameras and private cameras, which is helping us a lot with incidents. Within two days we were able to identify and apprehend those individuals that vandalised the school and the town,” says Gawie Pretorius, Leader of AfriForum’s Bothaville neighbourhood watch.
“The fact that community members are able to communicate information directly to the neighbourhood watch makes rapid action by the neighbourhood watch possible. It also creates trust among the community and intensifies vigilance and preparedness to combat crime in the area. Good cooperation between the neighbourhood watch, police and local safety institutions enable us to support the community in emergency situations,” says Joseph Renaud, AfriForum’s Head of Community Safety for the central region.
“It is nice that the neighbourhood watch can support the police. The public is encouraged to be wakeful and immediately report any signs of crime. It is also nice to see that the cameras that were erected by the branch leads to success,” says Alta Pretorius, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the Mooi River.
The branch encourages the community to become involved with projects such as these: SMS “Bothaville” to 31481 (R1).