We urge everyone and anyone living in Salt Rock, Sheffield and Umhlali to join forces with us so that we can become an even more powerful force to be reckoned with. The benefits to anyone joining the Watch are numerous:
We provide our members with information about current criminal activities and the modus operandi they use to gain access to our homes and community at large. We try to determine the crime trends and patterns of our area so that the members can be better prepared and warned about possible incidents or suspicious persons. Crime prevention advice is therefore more efficiently circulated throughout the community, enabling a better understanding of practical steps required to tackle local problems in their infancy.
Getting involved in a Neighbourhood Watch scheme enables you to make a positive and proactive contribution towards crime prevention. It provides you with a way to report crimes and share details of any suspicious activity with your neighbours and the police.
Our website content, email communications, MAD Domestic Watch Salt Rock training and sms’ endeavour to teach members how to take preventative measures that decrease the likelihood of becoming a victim of crime.
Members, their domestic workers and gardeners are provided with discounted monthly training (MAD Domestic Watch Salt Rock) on how to report suspicious activities that are occurring and what to look out for. The lessons also cover what to do and who to contact in an emergency. In turn this will help members become more familiar with crime prevention ideas that help keep their homes and belongings safe, preparing them for every eventuality.
Weekly reports have proven that the SRNW has had a major impact on reducing crime levels in the area.
Although belonging to a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme does not guarantee that your area is crime-free, criminals are deterred from committing crimes in areas where they know there is an active Neighbourhood Watch and that people could be watching. Our prominent Neighbourhood Watch signs posted on the gates/walls of the members and on the outskirts of the neighbourhood show that we are not an easy target and that the community has taken the necessary steps to deter crime. The signs also show criminals that they are probably being watched and that their untoward activities are being reported to the police and/or security companies. Our surveillance cameras also assist with this prevention strategy.
Joining the SRNW will allow members to feel more secure knowing that their neighbours are keeping an eye on their property.
In areas where neighbourhood watches have been introduced, there has been a marked decrease in crimes such as housebreaking. This knowledge helps reinforce the effectiveness of the Watch.
Certain insurance companies offer reduced household insurance in areas where a Neighbourhood Watch scheme operates.
Getting to know your neighbours and other residents allow you to determine irregularities in their regular patterns and will allow members to report these irregularities accordingly. Moreover, getting to know your neighbours in our modern age is a challenge. The Watch serves a purpose besides public safety, and that is being neighbourly. When you are called upon to help ensure the safety of your neighbours, there is a likely ability to get to know one another better. A Watch meeting or programme in general can be a natural impetus for learning more about one another’s lives and families. This social realm gives even more reason and desire to take care of one another and makes the support structure greater. In short, communities are brought together by sharing a common goal.
The SRNW platform will allow members to address additional issues of community concern such as Fire Prevention, First Aid, and City Planning. (Street lighting is covered on a regular basis)
Having a safe, secure, informed neighbourhood that communicates effectively is a helpful way to maintain a happy and peaceful home life.
Regular public meetings are held at the Salt Rock Country Club (the 2nd Tuesday of every month @ 19:00) these meetings are regularly attended by SAPS and IPSS and also provide an opportunity to meet neighbours and get feedback on criminal activity in Salt Rock.
The Salt Rock Neighbourhood Watch works closely with Security Companies in the area as well as with SAPS to ensure cooperation and thereby provide effective service and response times.
Assistance rendered for late arrival at home if requested.
Follow-up by patrol car on reports of undesirable or suspicious elements in or around a member’s property.
Extra surveillance if SRNW is informed that a member’s property is unattended for any period of time.
Surveillance cameras installed by SRNW and monitored by IPSS Control Room.
EMERGENCY 9 cell phone rescue facility. An assigned speed dial key allows members to send an emergency message from their phone which is sent to four numbers of their choice, plus the patrol vehicle, plus the IPSS Control Room, simultaneously.
SRNW Website which is regularly updated with crime information.
SMS notification of incidents or issues of immediate importance to members.
SMS notification to members about lost or found pets.
Small stickers with SRNW contact numbers for quick reference.
The key to success in any neighbourhood watch program are the member’s willingness to “look out for each other” and the ability of each individual participant to observe and recognize what is suspicious, then immediately reporting it. As a participant, your ability to observe and recognize what is usual and what is unusual comes as a result of paying attention. This also means that you must pay attention to the everyday ordinary happenings that occur in your neighbourhood.
The personal safety of all our members and the general public at large is paramount. Non-active members are therefore encouraged NOT to confront any suspicious persons. They are also advised not to investigate any suspicious activities, alone or otherwise. Instead they are encouraged to phone the IPSS control room or the Police instead. It may however be very beneficial to try and record the details of what is being observed, to alert the authorities, and to report those details to the Police without putting themselves in danger.
Over the past few years we have achieved some excellent results. We have seen steady reductions in the overall volume of crime committed in Salt Rock, which means fewer victims and more time spent on crime prevention and detection. With your help we can help reduce crime levels even further.
Join the Salt Rock Neighbourhood Watch now.
Anyone can play a part in crime prevention, however great or small.
Working Together to Make a Difference!