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DAMAGED BY BLAZE: A MyCiTi bus was destroyed after a fire broke out at the MyCiTi bus station in Hertzog Boulevard in the City bowl on Saturday 21 November. The station was also damaged. According to reports, an electrical fault may have caused the fire. Edward Bosch, spokesperson for the City’s fire and rescue services, says no injuries were reported. An investigation is under way to determine the exact cause of the fire. PHOTO: COCT
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Putting safety first KAYLYNNE BANTOM KAYLYNNE.BANTOM@MEDIA24.COM
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reating safer communities can only be achieved if community members work together and become smarter and faster in dealing with criminals and crime-related incidents. It is this concept that led to the birth of the Atlantic Seaboard Response Communication Group (ASRC), a WhatsApp group started by Sea Point Central Improvement District (SPCID) chair Jacques Weber and auxiliary law enforcement officers Jarred Marcus and JJ Pennett. The group comprises of all law enforcement agencies and security companies operating with patrolling vehicles along the Atlantic Seaboard.
According to Weber, this allows for the immediate response by available units to crime-related incidents within the region. “Members from Cape Town Metro police, law enforcement, Watchtower Group, Fidelity ADT, and Sea Point CID, among others, all form part of the group,” he says. Weber says although the group has only been operational for about a month, it is already yielding positive results. He recalls an incident a few weeks ago when the group received a tip-off that a stolen vehicle was circulating in the Green Point area. Weber says swift reaction led to the arrest of four suspects. “Within minutes, members of the group had deployed vehicles to all key entry and exit points within the area while additional vehicles combed the last seen location in search of the car. A few minutes later, the police spotted the car and pulled
it over. Four suspects were arrested by the police for being in possession of a stolen vehicle,” he says Weber says a group of illegal poachers were also apprehended in the area through the combined work of the group. Weber explains that the group does not aim to illuminate other community safety groups like the Buzzer App, but is rather a platform for all agencies to work as a collective. He says the SPCID’s sophisticated license plate recognition camera network has also been crucial in bringing criminals to book. Jarred Marcus, co-founder of the ASRC group, says: “While some people like to moan and pass blame, we prefer to find ways to work together to beat crime and, ultimately, make the areas safer for everyone living in it.” Heather Tager, Sea Point community po-
licing forum chair, commends the efforts of all services of the platform and highlights the positive results already seen from the group. Tager says: “Unfortunately, we live in an area where those working to improve the services to the wider community are often knocked down by those following their own narrow agendas. That just provides division and makes matters worse, not better. This is an example of how to come together to make a difference.” Weber says the fast-approaching festive season also means an upsurge in opportunistic criminal activities such as ATM fraud, robberies at shopping centres and theft out of motor vehicles. He says members are geared up to stop the culprits in their tracks. “We look forward to many more successes in future,” concludes Weber.