AfriForum’s Bloemfontein neighbourhood watches partook in the civil rights organisation’s national patrol over the past weekend. More than 160 neighbourhood watch members, members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), as well as various security firms – Bloemsec, Nissi and ITR among other – and the Life Rosepark ambulance services successfully participated in the patrol.
“The patrollers covered a large area of Bloemfontein between 20:00 on Friday evening and 03:00 on Saturday morning in shifts of three hours each and with 90 vehicles. This totalled almost 5 800 km. Among other issues, patrollers also helped regulate traffic after an accident and recovered a handbag with various personal items which had presumably been stolen. No serious crimes were however reported,” says Pieter Myburg, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for Bloemfontein.
Myburg adds that the patrol was aimed at crime prevention and the visibility of the safety structures.