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HARFIELD VILLAGE
Gate closes on crime NETTALIE VILJOEN NETTALIE.VILJOEN@MEDIA24.COM
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octurnal perpetrators of crime wanting to use Harfield Road station subway as an “escape route” will find their path blocked as of middle-October. The installation of a security gate at one of the two entrances to the subway has been given the green light. Jenni Coleman, manager of Harfield Village Community Improvement District (HVCid), says the gate will be installed at the bottom of the stairs on the Harfield Village side within the next two weeks. “As per the proposal from Metrorail and Prasa, the gate will be locked at 22:00 after the last train leaves and re-opened at 04:00, before the first train arrives,” Coleman says. Fidelity ADT armed response officers, as the endorsed service partner of the HVCid, will unlock and lock the gate at the designated times. Jade Hanning, Cape Town South district manager at Fidelity ADT, says the subway is a popular access route for criminals to enter or leave the suburb, especially for opportunistic crime. “The security gate is an initiative from the HVCid and is aimed to halt or slow the movement of people in the area after hours,” says Hanning. Coleman says Metrorail/Prasa security will also have a key. “We will be arranging for signage for both sides of the subway which will provide the closing and opening times, as well as a contact number should there be an issue with the gate being opened timeously,” she adds. According to Coleman, the plan to install a gate has been in the pipeline for the past three years. “Patrollers from Har-Lyn Neighbourhood Watch (HNW) as well as armed response officers from private security companies, have regularly advised that, when in pursuit of a suspect, the suspect has run through the subway and got away,” says Coleman. Coleman says, before lockdown, role players – including Friends of Harfield Parks; HVCid; Sharon Cottle, the councillor for ward 58; Harfield Rate Payers Association; Har-Lyn Neighbourhood Watch; Claremont
Bruce Burmeister, HVCid chair; Stanley Christians from Stan’s Fencing; George Kiewiets of Metrorail; and Jenni Coleman, HVCid manager, at a site meeting at Harfield Road station subway last week. police station; PrasaCres; ADT Response; and Metrorail – met weekly to discuss crime prevention. She says all were in favour of installing a gate to assist with reducing crime in the area. Lt Col Marnus Fourie, head of visible policing at Claremont police, confirms the police station’s support for such a gate, saying that, although it is Prasa and Metrorail’s prerogative, the police would like to see the gate closed during non-operational times to limit access to potential victims and criminals. “There has been reported incidents in and around the gate area, with common robberies and theft out of motor vehicles a concern.” Fourie adds crime has shown a significant decrease during the lockdown, but any crime that can be prevented with environmental design will improve the safety of residents and commuters. Goerge Kiewiets, Metrorail special project manager, says the go-ahead for the installation of a gate at the subway was given on 15
October 2019 at a meeting held between stakeholders from Harfield Village, Kenilworth, Wynberg police station, Wynberg law enforcement, and Metrorail and PrasaCres management. The motion to install the gate was again re-tabled in the past two months, prompting an offer from HVCid’s committee to fund the installation. Kiewiets says this is another example of communities working together to combat crime. “We are all part of one community, one Cape Town, one South Africa. We are all constantly working together, all on the same path. At the end of the day, it is all about safety,” he says. Coleman gives credit to both Fidelity ADT and Kiewiets for the plan finally coming together. She says HVCid wouldn’t have been able to support community initiatives like these if it weren’t for the financial support of Fidelity ADT which contributes to the group on a monthly basis.
“HVCid is grateful to Mr George Kiewiets from Metrorail who regularly makes himself available for railway-related concerns and who has been our liaison with Metrorail and Prasa on this project,” she adds. She believes thanks should also go to all the community groups and residents who increased pressure on the powers that be following the recent flooding of the Harfield subway. The theft of a pump from the subway combined with heavy rains in September had made it impassable for several weeks. Recognising that there might be some detractors to the installation of the gate, Coleman admits that it will be less convenient. However, she says it is safer not to pass through a subway at night. “And, of course, travelling by car is also safer, but if people are forced to walk, the station at Kenilworth has an option for you to cross the railway line without using a subway, which security role players would recommend,” she concludes.
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