Joint Media Release: Neighbourhood Watch Awards

Joint Media Release by

Western Cape Minister of Community Safety, Dan Plato,

City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member: Safety, Security & Social Services, Alderman JP Smith

Date: 25 March 2018

Release: Immediate

Neighbourhood Watch Awards set to honour City’s dedicated safety volunteers

Tomorrow evening, Monday 26 March 2018, the long awaited Neighbourhood Watch Awards ceremony will be held to celebrate and honour our dedicated safety volunteers in communities across the City of Cape Town for their tireless efforts in 2017.

More than 80 nominations from multiple Neighbourhood Watches across the city will on Monday evening culminate in 34 awards, which aim to honour both the Neighbourhood Watch teams and individuals who valiantly serve communities to help improve safety.

The NHW Awards for 2017 will include 34 x Awards in total:

• Bronze Category:
  • Bronze Awards x 16
• Silver Category:
  •  Silver Awards x 5
• Gold Category:
  • Gold Awards x 6
  • Leader’s Choice x 4
  • NHWs of the Year x 3

Bronze Category: Neighbourhood Watch teams of Distinction (x 16)

These awards have been chosen from the NHWs engaged by the MEC of Community Safety during 2017, covering 5 x categories, as follows:

• Community Service Excellence: for noteworthy excellence displayed in any form.
• Education Support Excellence: for excellence in support for school and scholar safety - in particular, support for the Department of Community Safety-led Walking Bus Programme.
• Skills Training Excellence: recognises the development of a wide range of skills for comprehensive community safety and support.
• Organisational Excellence: for excellence in NHW management that helps to create professional, capable and accountable neighbourhood watch teams.
• Operational Commitment: for exceptional and sustained operational commitment in partnership with the state safety, security and emergency agencies.

Silver Category: Individual Excellence Awards (x 5)

These awards have been chosen by the City of Cape Town’s judging panel, covering 5 x categories, as follows:

• Mobiliser of the Year: for exceptional efforts to mobilise communities in support of safety.
• Skills Master of the Year: in recognition of exceptional skills relevant to NHW duties and community safety.
• Mentor of the Year: in recognition of a NHW member who has gone to extraordinary lengths to nurture a next generation of capable, committed NHW teams.
• Inspiration of the Year: a NHW leader who has displayed inspirational public leadership, across several NHW areas, in support of community safety and the greater public good.
• Crime Fighter of the Year: for exceptional, selfless, professional and committed service, in the fight against the scourge of crime.

Gold Category:

Leaders’ Choice (x 4)

These “Leader’s Choice” awards are made to both an individual and NHW, by the City of Cape Town, and the MEC for Community Safety.

• City of Cape Town’s Outstanding Achievement Awards
  • Individual NHW Watcher
  • NHW structure
• DOCS MEC’s Outstanding Achievement Awards
  • Individual NHW Watcher
  • NHW structure

NHW Teams of the Year (x 6)

These awards have been chosen by the City of Cape Town’s judging panel, covering 6 x categories, as follows:

• From Zero to Hero - Most Progress Award: in recognition of dramatic improvement by a NHW team, covering a range of functions, abilities and professionalism.
• Most Innovative Award: in recognition of innovative, progressive, smart and integrated use of technology, towards community safety.
• Broken Window Award: in recognition of exceptional efforts towards a clean, healthy and safe environment, in which communities can lead dignified lives.
• Above & Beyond Award: in recognition of exceptional efforts, above and beyond the call of duty, to address a community safety issue in support of the public good.
• Social Responsibility Award: in recognition of a deep commitment to address, mitigate and heal societal ills, towards healthier, inclusive and united communities.
• Courage in Action Award: in recognition of sustained NHW operations in the face of highly compromised community safety.

NHW of the Year (x 3)

These awards have been chosen by the City of Cape Town’s judging panel:

The teams that best represent exemplary commitment and values consistent with the broader NHW movement, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, the Western Cape Provincial Government and the City of Cape Town. First, Second and Third Prize Awards will be made.

This is the inaugural Neighbourhood Watch Awards since the historic Memorandum of Agreement between the City of Cape Town and Western Cape Government, signed last year to ensure co-ordinated support for Accredited Neighbourhood Watches. There are now more than 130 accredited Neighbourhood watches in the City of Cape Town metropolitan area – and dozens more across the province. The Department of Community Safety envisage rolling out similar awards to other Municipalities across the Province in near future.

Tomorrow evening’s celebrations will be attended by the nominees and special guests from the City, Provincial Government and the South African Police Service. Among the awards are Bronze, Silver and coveted Gold Category awards, including City and Provincial ‘Outstanding Achievement Awards’ and the three ‘Neighbourhood Watch of the Year’ awards.

Ald. Jean-Pierre Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety, Security & Social Services, said:

“The work that Neighbourhood Watches do contributes significantly towards building safer communities in Cape Town. The members of the NHWs dedicate their time and often some of their own resources towards ensuring that criminals do not become comfortable in our City.”

Western Cape Minister of Community Safety, Dan Plato, said:

“The NHW Awards ceremony, the first under the new WCG-City partnership, will showcase our appreciation of our NHWs and their members as treasured safety partners. The different categories in the NHW Awards for 2017 are designed to honour the many different ways in which NHW members contribute towards safety. This includes formal patrols, those who work closely with the various emergency services, who assist with social issues; who work with religious organisations and NGOs; or even those working closely with our schools.

ALL MEDIA ARE INVITED TO ATTEND

Details:          City of Cape Town/Department of Community Safety NHW Awards ceremony for 2017           

Date:              Monday, 26 March 2018

Time:               18:30 – 21:30

Venue:           Banqueting Hall, 5th Floor, Podium Block, Civic Centre, Cape Town