Portland’s unsung heroes keep community safe around the clock

While most people are still sleeping snugly, a group of dedicated volunteers patrol the streets and make sure that Portland is safe.

The Portland Neighbourhood Watch patrol from Morgenster Road in the north to Spine Road in the south and from Eisleben Road in the west, to the railway line in the east, every morning and evening.

This section of Portland is split into blocks, each of which has its own unique challenges and the 56-member team is split into morning and evening patrols.

Early-morning guardians

The retired members of the team patrol from 04:30 to 08:00 while the working members patrol in the evenings, ensuring round-the-clock community protection.

When the morning patrols are done, the morning patrol team moves to the schools to assist with scholar patrols while another group patrols bus stops and makes sure that commuters are safe.

“Before we had a lot of robberies when people were going to work,” said watch member Richard Small, highlighting the critical importance of their early-morning presence.

The watch has discovered that they mostly find women waiting alone at bus stops, and some have even asked them to fetch them at their homes.

“When we ask them where their husbands are, they say at home in bed,” said Keith La Vita. “It’s not our responsibility to fetch people at their homes — safety is everyone’s responsibility.”

Comprehensive community coverage

The school team then moves into the schools and assists with bullying and discipline issues.

This doesn’t mean that the team gets a break during school holidays though. This is when they host holiday programmes and the team’s training in trauma, anti-bullying and gender-based violence comes into play.

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Many also patrol at events, assisting law enforcement to keep the peace and ward off would-be robbers and pickpockets. They serve as first responders at accidents and crime scenes, secure crime scenes ahead of the arrival of police, and assist with traffic control — all on a voluntary basis.

The watch has found that every member has unique talents that are called upon when needed. For example, some members have a good rapport with gangsters and have earned their respect, while others have the right touch with young people and are frequently sent to disperse youth loitering in parks.

Making a difference

This visibility in the community has caused a notable reduction in crime, said watch member Richard Small. While each section faces different challenges, the impact is clear across all areas.

“People feel safer,” said La Vita, noting the positive feedback they receive from residents when some of them approach the watch members and thank them for their service.

“But we don’t do this for recognition,” said watch chair Shireen de Villiers.

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Surprisingly, even the gangsters in the area don’t bother the neighbourhood watch members. “They respect us actually,” said La Vita.

“The approach is everything,” De Villiers added, explaining how different members’ training and backgrounds make the difference. Some are trained as first responders, others in trauma counseling, and others in gender-based violence intervention.

The support they receive from police, metro police and the community police forums is also invaluable.

Call for support

Mitchell’s Plain CPF chair Norman Janjies praised the watch saying all the watches in Mitchell’s Plain are essential and he hoped more residents would join them so that they could have more comprehensive coverage.

“The Mitchell’s Plain CPF are proud to be associated with the Portland neighbourhood watch and all the other neighbourhood watches in the area. Without the neighbourhood watch we would experience significantly higher crime levels.”

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He emphasised the watch’s crucial role: “They are the eyes and ears of the police and have developed a great deal of trust and credibility within the community. We don’t think the government and the community give them enough appreciation and recognition for the role they play in the prevention of crime in our areas.”

Janjies highlighted the growing challenges facing the area: “Portland has seen an upsurge in crime over the past few years. We now witness the presence of many more gangs and drug houses. We therefore need more community members to join the neighbourhood watches so that we can have a watch in each block in Portland. The community can also support them by sharing information and supporting the various events hosted with or by them.”