“NHWs (Neighbourhood Watches) are a force multiplier for police and our other law enforcement agencies.”
These are the words of Rhine Barnes, chair of the Melkbosstrand Neighbourhood Watch (MNHW), after referring to the article in the TygerBurger mentioning the official launch of Melkbosstrand Police Station’s Community in Blue (CIB) Programme.
This (the CIB) is a national initiative to directly assist the SAPS by reporting any criminal activity, or suspected criminal activity to the police station. Barnes explains that the role of the MNHW was not made very clear in the article and would like to inform the public of the NHWs responsibilities.
MNHW role
According to Barnes, Samie Kleynhans chair of the Community Policing Forum (CPF), stated that the “responsibility of the CIB was more toward the police and conducting of patrols purely to report back to the police”. He explains this would imply that this is a function reserved only for CIB.
Barnes says the Western Cape Government’s code of conduct for neighbourhood watches requires a NHW to:
- operate as the eyes and ears of the community it serves and must cooperate with the police;
- a NHW must assist the police and other safety and security services and partners to safeguard the local community and their property, to manage and control crime prevention initiatives and to discourage crime in the area.
“Therefore, assisting the police and reporting back to them is not only reserved for the CIB, but is a requirement for all NHW patrollers. NHWs are a force multiplier for the police and our other law enforcement agencies. The NHW is more than just the eyes and ears of the community. What Mr Kleynhans failed to mention is that not only is the NHW a non-profit organisation, it is also an accredited organisation with the provincial government, department of community safety,” says Barnes.
He adds that each member of the NHW must adhere to the department’s strict code of conduct which, among others
- For more clarity or information, send an email to chairman@melkbosstrand.net.
