- Simon’s Town has introduced a new neighbourhood watch in its Central Business District (CBD), formed through collaboration with the Simon’s Town Business Association and Community Policing Forum.
- The initiative, initially comprising 12 to 14 volunteers, aims to enhance safety by conducting regular patrols.
- They hope to address issues like loitering and public drinking.
A new neighbourhood watch in Simon’s Town is ensuring a cleaner and safer Central Business District (CBD).
The CBD watch was launched in collaboration with the Simon’s Town Business Association and the Simon’s Town Community Policing Forum (CPF).
The initiative started with 12 to 14 volunteers, comprising business owners and residents.
Covering two shifts of main-road patrols, the CBD watch has already seen a significant impact on loitering and people sleeping on the main road.
Simon’s Town CPF chair Andrew Roger said the new neighbourhood watch, which still needs to be registered, has regular patrols focusing on petty crimes.
Homelessness
“We are up and running, doing two patrols per night,” he said.
Commenting on the crime or concerns in the Simon’s Town CBD, Roger said a rise in homelessness during winter means a lot of anti-social behaviour.
“There isn’t an increase in crime in the CBD, but there is a lot of anti-social behaviour, with more homeless people in the area and the patrols more of a preventative measure,” he said. “In winter, we see more homeless people on the street and an increase in petty crime.”
The group started patrols in the hope that more volunteers will join.
“We are always looking for more volunteers and to team up with other neighbourhood watches in the area.”
Roger added that the regular patrols had a significant impact on public drinking.
“Drinking in public has decreased and taken a drop as we patrol those areas,” he said. “The homeless were sleeping in doorways and alleyways so we are hoping to be visible, especially in the evenings.”
Any faults found during the patrols, such as broken street lights and potholes, are also reported to the City, he adds.
