Cape Town Receives 44 Accredited Neighbourhood Watch Structures

On 18 July, the Neighbourhood Watch Accreditation and Certification Ceremony experienced one of the biggest turnouts to this ceremony that was hosted by Minister Plato at the Goodwood Civic Centre.

The Neighbourhood Watches (NHW) operate in areas such as: Delft, Atlantis, Grassy Park, Cape Town, Lentegeur, Kuilsriver, Gugulethu, Hanover Park, Steenberg, Harare Khayelitsha, Manenberg, Somerset West, Lansdowne, Wynberg, Fish Hoek, Ocean View, Parow, Mitchell’s Plain, Kirstenhof, Athlone, Macassar and Langa.

The total number of accredited NHWs in the province stands at 243 structures. The Department is steadily on track to accredit at least another 100 NHW formations for the 2018/19 financial year.

The Department of Community Safety under the leadership of Minister Dan Plato identified and prioritised the NHW project and the accreditation of the NHW Structures in order to action projects and outreach interventions against crime and drugs. The Minister, councillors and NHW groups in attendance pledged to work together to speed up delivery and create safer communities. Government initiatives will be introduced in cooperation with community organisations to curb crime, fight drugs and uplift these communities.

The NHW accredited structures are looking at theories of change that will improve safety in our communities through encouraging community members to play an active role in their own safety and creating safer environments whilst working with and supporting accredited NHW structures and the police in both crime fighting and crime prevention activities.

The Western Cape Government’s objective is to make every community in the Province a safe place in which to live, work, learn, relax and move about.

Now accredited, the NHW Structures are capacitated to become capable safety partners to the Western Cape Government, SAPS, Local Government and other safety and security role players.

The 44 accredited NHW’s were provided with a “Starter Kit” after the ceremony, which includes reflective vests, torches, safety whistles, strobe lights for the vehicles, magnetic decals, a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher. The newly accredited NHWs are eligible for additional training provided by the Department of Community Safety. This includes basic NHW training and first aid training to ensure optimal performance of duties within the mandate of their accredited structure.