The Bridgetown Neighbourhood Watch and Athlone Police patrolled their areas on foot or by car to address crime as a unit.
When the new Station Commander Col Tjikamba Mbangu took office in December, his dream was to work closely with the Community Policing Forum (CPF), neighbourhood watches and the community to make Athlone safer.
“We had our first joint patrols on Friday 10 and Friday 17 February and it was heartwarming to see young and old joining. Athlone communities are encouraged to take their streets back by joining their local neighbourhood watches in their weekly patrols,” says Sgt Zita Norman, spokesperson for Athlone police.
The community was excited to have the police out with blue-light patrols.
Norman says communities are encouraged to be neighbourly and to work with their NHWs and police.
This initiative has shown the great partnership between the police and their role players, she says.
The biggest challenges for the police in Athlone are gangsterism and drugs.
Mbangu emphasised partnerships will benefit the community of Athlone to create a safer neighbourhood.
Norman says she was happy to see the young and old taking to the streets to assist the police in crime prevention.
