The civil rights organisation AfriForum on 1 September officially opened its control room for the northern region in Ellisras. This control room will assist AfriForum’s neighbourhood watches in the northern region 24 hours per day, seven days a week with operational duties, as well as during emergencies.
AfriForum’s safety structures in the northern region at the end of 2018 introduced a launch project called Projek Herlei with the aim of establishing a control room in the northern region to offer better support to neighbourhood watches. This was done in cooperation with various private security companies and voluntary neighbourhood watch members.
Various successes have already been achieved during the first phase of the project, while a team consisting of volunteers has also been established to ensure that the northern region’s radio network is regularly monitored. The security company GAC Security also became involved to provide assistance with the monitoring of the region’s radio network.
During the second phase, which was launched on 15 April 2019, JHD Protection Services and Monster Security also became involved to improve and monitor the northern region’s communication channels.
This project has already vastly improved the ability of neighbourhood watches in the northern region to communicate and gather information. Crime statistics are being gathered in a much better way, which leads to the planning of proactive action in cooperation with the SAPS and other institutions to combat crime.
“Cooperation between different institutions can lead to the creation of more capacity to make a difference and to safeguard our communities by putting proactive measures in place,” says Hillel Coetzer, AfriForum’s Head of Community Safety for the northern region.
“AfriForum’s safety structures in the northern region are also currently busy working on other projects to increase capacity in the region even further. The focus of these projects involves, among others, the improvement of administrative capacity, air capability, as well as operational and informational capability to enable AfriForum’s neighbourhood watches to contribute actively to proactive community safety. AfriForum invites any institution or business to become involved with these types of projects,” concludes Coetzer.
Become involved with AfriForum today and make a difference in your community: SMS “Noord” to 45353 (R1).
