HOW TO FIGHT CRIME
THEY go out at a moment’s notice, no matter the time of day or night, often putting their own lives in danger. They are sometimes super sleuths, who look out for one another, but more importantly the public at large. A public that is under threat from ruthless criminals like never before.
Patrolling the streets or chasing after hardened thugs who are armed to the teeth, community volunteers have partnered with private and state law enforcement agencies, using their own resources in the fight against crime.
The thing that brought them together is the quest to see criminals brought down, but what keeps them on the same page is social media, with apps such as WhatsApp increasingly crucial for a co-ordinated response.
“A WhatsApp group takes 256 members; that’s 256 civilians, 256 minds,” said crimefighter Rivaaj Ramdas, a law graduate who is active in several groups.
“Surely, if we have that, we can all outsmart three criminals targeting one neighbourhood?”
The Westville resident said there were more law-abiding citizens than criminals in South Africa, so the bad guys were easily outnumbered.
Catching them and bringing them to book should not be the sole responsibility of the police, Ramdas said.
He believes that communities should stand together, be whistle-blowers while not taking the law into their hands.
“We need to join forces, break down the high walls we have and let our neighbours in because we need one another.”
Anyone can be a crimefighter, said Ramdas, adding that housewives too could be instrumental and powerful in that regard.
“They are always home, they see everything that’s happening.
“Should they see a house break-in, text it on a neighbourhood WhatsApp group. From the (maximum) 256 people one will call the police, or maybe one of the people in the group could be a policeman who will dispatch help right away.”
He said people needed to stop viewing firearms as taboo and dangerous.
“We encourage people, especially Indian mothers, to go for shooting lessons and view shooting as a recreational sport. We are trying to break down those barriers.”
Ramdas, who is also a member of a security “brotherhood”, the Tactical Shooting Team, said most firearm owners were men and when criminals entered a home or business they always had their eye on their male victims, giving their female victims 90% leverage to strike and surprise them.
Since WhatsApp groups and night patrols by community groups started, police have been responding faster to crime scenes as well as working with them to find criminals, said Babitha Sewparsad, who helps co-ordinate a group called the Safety and Security Team.
This group reached the maximum number of users last week and a new one was set up to accomm date the many more seeking to join.
The community also needed to associate themselves with Community Police Forums, she said. “Networking from all sides is important. As much as we try to prevent crime, it is still alarmingly high.”
Sewparsad said social media had proved to be one of the most effective tools in relaying information about crime or emergency situations in communities.
One of the ways she operates is through WhatsApp groups. She gets information from different security departments.
“There is a Phoenix group, Newlands group and many others that we use to network,” she said.
“For example, as soon as we heard about the baby who went missing last week (after an alleged hijacking), we posted it on other groups to inform everybody including those who would be able to take action.”
Hundreds of posts went out, second by second, about the baby and various groups joined the search.
“When a hijacking happens we can alert other people to keep a look out,” said Sewparsad.
“I work with only confirmed information. To send out information that isn’t confirmed would be a waste of time and resources. I get in touch with SAPS members and once it’s confirmed, I will circulate it.”
As a stay-at-home mom with two children, she said that being part of the crime awareness groups meant she could keep her children informed and do what she needed to in order to keep them safe.
Pravin Gounden from the Reservoir Hills Policing Sector said it had more than 30 people on a street that actively patrolled the area.
“We have had to deal with all sorts of crime from hijackings to house robberies. The time of the day crime seems to be most rife, from a hijacking point of view, is from 5pm to 10pm. But the most common crime we have to deal with is petty crime like stealing something from the yard or from someone walking in the road.”
He said the most effective method of communication has been through WhatsApp.
“We get updates about the area all the time. We even have people from Clare Estate give us descriptions of suspects which have led to arrests.
“People are aware of suspicious behaviour. Suspects come in any cars, generally the ones that blend in,” he said.
“A week won’t go by without a house getting broken into. Those who patrol take time out of their lives to try to keep the community safe. They use their own cars and petrol.”
The Reservoir Hills Policing Sector is a legislated body that has direct interaction with the police.
“We do not approach suspects. Rather, we are the eyes and ears of the community. We report suspicious behaviour and don’t promote confrontation.
“You can prevent crime by just being vigilant and reporting suspicious behaviour. It’s better to report suspicious people while they’re on the street than in your home,” said Gounden.
Prem Balram from Reaction Unit South Africa said the partnering of the community, security groups and police is the solution to crime.
“I have always had a passion for fighting crime, and also aviation. I decided to combine the two to help fight crime in the community,” he said.
“I feel it is important to go out and help people. The average man on the street is not equipped with the kind of resources we have like guns and training to be able to take on criminals.
“Rather they should just alert us.”
He said he was alerted to 15 to 20 emergencies a day.
“They range from hijackings to robberies and even murder. A cash-in-transit usually happens once a week,” he said.
Balram was extensively involved in the search for the missing baby last week.
He told the POST’s sister paper, Daily News, he was angry when he heard the mother was allegedly implicated.
Balram had used his helicopter and spent eight hours searching for the hijacked car and baby.
“On Friday we searched for five hours and on Saturday we searched for another three hours. It cost us between R35 000 and R40 000 for those two days.
“In addition, we used 10 reaction officers and eight of our cars.”
He agrees that social media is one of the best ways of circulating information.
“Those on the WhatsApp groups act as an extra set of eyes and ears who inform us.
“I don’t expect normal citizens who post on these groups to go out and fight crime.”
Robin Candy, the chairperson of the Greenwood park community watch group, said that without partnership among people and the police, criminals would probably not be caught.
Candy does nightly patrol walks with a few members of his community and said since they started, crime has gone down in Greenwood Park.
“We go around with radios and our cellphones, we alert each other via our WhatsApp group if something has happened and we respond to a crime scene, not interfering with it,” he said.
“We just try to help the police find the perpetrator.”
He said a quick picture taken of a suspect running away can go a long way in helping the police locate him.