BeeHive on Crime Watch Community Takes Control
The ‘BeeHive’ is made up of a diverse group of people. The president is Surendra Prasad, vice-president is Marina Jiare while the General secretary is Sudesh Ram.
Residents of Bayview Heights in Suva are leading the charge in showing the nation that anything can be achieved when there is civic pride, a sense of community and unity.
Tired of having reports of regular break-ins, grab-and-runs, a resident of this populated suburb, Trevuz Chung, created a Viber group where residents started to warn each other of sightings strangers within the area.
It did not stop there. Encouraged by how Mr Chung had rallied the community to look out for each other, another resident and director of GoAdvertising Limited Charles Wakeham came up with an idea of forming the Bayview Heights Council, or ‘the BeeHive’, a group of like-minded individuals who got together and started putting together projects for the betterment of the community.
How did it start?
Mr Wakeham shared the story of how Mr Chung created the Viber group and really fostered a sense of community. Here, they regularly shared stories of break-ins, but it wasn’t enough to take any action. Determined to make something out of this, Mr Wakeham floated the idea of forming a neighbourhood watch, a council which would actively work to keep the neighbourhood safe.
The first thing the council did was put up a series of billboards. The billboards spelled out that people were being watched and monitored while they were in the neighbourhood. Just having the billboards up assisted the community and they noted a sharp decline in crimes in the area.
Next, as the popularity of the Viber group grew, Police officers from nearby stations also joined in. Mr Wakeham recalled how one resident messaged the group at 2am: “break-in at home, turning off phone now. Help!” Within minutes, neighbours sprang into action and Police officers apprehended the burglars in no time.
What started as a group of five, now has family members from some 200 families from the area, sharing information, checking up on each other and keeping an eye out on the vulnerable.
The council:
The ‘BeeHive’ is made up of a diverse group of people. The president is Surendra Prasad, vice-president is Marina Jiare while the General secretary is Sudesh Ram. Treasurer is Atul Deo while their legal advisor is lawyer and resident Faizal Haniff. Manager Projects is Surya Singh while corporate and Marketing is taken care of by Mr Wakeham and Nilesh Chetty of Kriz Signs.
Active council members:
Ajendra Kumar
Ami Prasad
Arshi SK
Harbans Narayan
Herman Chung
Lambert Low
Josua Gagalia
Sanjay Singh Trevuz Chung
Vinesh Dayal
What’s next:
After seeking required approvals from the Fiji Roads Authority, Water Authority of Fiji and Telecom Fiji, the council increased their billboard placements throughout the suburb but putting up these billboards is not enough.
Now, the council has put in place plans to fund their own Police post. Mr Wakeham, having struck a deal with local hardware store RC Manubhai, is sourcing building materials. This will be used to build the Police post. The cost for utilities- water, electricity and phone bills will also be taken care of by the Council by leasing out a commercial advertising space on top of the Police post. All they need are Police officers to move in and take charge.
But, it is not all crimes and bad stuff keeping the council busy.
On Mother’s Day, the council bought about a dozen cakes and cupcakes and walked around the suburb giving it out to random residents. Mr Wakeham said such acts fostered a sense of belonging and togetherness. These days the Viber group is still very active. As soon as someone spots a person who is not known in the area or seems to be scouting the area for possible break-ins, residents sound a warning and either Police officers or those who are close by drive up to check on who they are and why they are in the area.
Now, the council plans to use its BV Serevi Park for an annual Bayview Fun Day in the near future where families and neighbours can get together for a meet and greet and spend the day playing games, watch entertainment and do some fundraising.
They intend to use funds raised for charity work by supporting organisations such as Dilkusha Home, Old Peoples’ Home, and Homes of Hope, amongst others.
Council president talks of plans:
Mr Prasad yesterday said this initiative brought the community together.
“The good thing is that neighbours know each other. Often given our busy schedules we often forget to check who our neighbours are but now we don’t only know our neighbours but actively work to keep each other safe.
“This Council was created through a Viber Group and this also shows how technology can be best used and today we have over 220 members. We urge other communities to do the same and not only rely on police and defence forces to keep the country safe.
“The responsibility lies on each and every one of us. Police are always there to assist us but they can only do so much and we should play our part in helping them too.” Mr Prasad said people often tried to walk around the neighbourhood to talk to others and encourage them to reach out when the need arose.
“We sleep easier these nights now knowing that someone is keeping a watch at all times.”
Mr Prasad revealed that they would be working with the City Council to develop a children’s park in the area.
“We also plan to have CCTV cameras at strategic locations on all eight streets at Bayview Heights,” he said.
The council plans to fund this through their own initiatives. Mr Prasad said the empty lots often had overgrown grass as well. The council will pool funds together to buy brushcutters and spray pumps to spray weed-killers and hire unemployed youths to keep them busy with some form of employment.
“This is also our way of giving back to the community.”
Police Commissioner BrigadierGeneral Sitiveni Qiliho lauds efforts:
Mr Qiliho and the Fiji Police Force has been urging communities to keep an eye out for unknown people in their communities for years now. When informed yesterday of the work the “BeeHive” were doing, he welcomed the move and praised the Community for being proactive.