Eyes and ears of Newton Park looking to stifle crime
A spike in crime has spurred Newton Park residents to band together and throw their weight behind the newly established neighbourhood watch.
Officially launched in February, the Newton Park Neighbourhood Watch has grown in leaps and bounds and its members are determined to address the issues contributing to the area’s rising crime rate.
Its vice-chair, Chris Wilke, said the forum stemmed from a “Crime Alert” WhatsApp group formed during the Covid-19 lockdown.
“Since then, several initiatives were launched in and around Newton Park.
“But in February, the [neighbourhood watch] was officially constituted and we have enjoyed great support from the community,” Wilke said.
Starting with just seven members, the watch has since incorporated the WhatsApp group with close to 1,000 members, a Facebook page, 35 active patrollers and 20 “block watchers” who keep an eye on their streets from their homes.
The neighbourhood watch covers the area from the William Moffett Expressway to First Avenue, and from the Baakens River Valley across Cape Road all the way to Burt Drive.
The group also assists and works closely with groups in adjacent suburbs such as Adcockvale, Parsons Hill and Perridgevale.
“We have gone from strength to strength over the last few months and have received incredible support not only from our residents, but from the police and the security firms active in our area as well.” The group’s executive draws on the experience of its members and patrollers such as First Avenue resident Lindill Beets, who served on the Mount Road Community Policing Forum for more than 20 years.
“To see the growth this group has enjoyed since officially starting only a few months ago is fantastic.
“It shows people’s ability to pull together and face the challenges of crime together.”
Beets said the introduction of block watchers was vitally important as they were best suited to identify strangers and alert the police and security operatives of suspicious activity.
Ward 7 councillor Brendan Pegram applauded the initiative, saying it was encouraging to see people’s willingness to get involved.
“It’s no secret that our area has seen a bit of a crime spree recently. But thanks to the [neighbourhood watch] and what they’ve set out to achieve, I believe the crime picture will change drastically.”
Pegram said because Newton Park encompassed such a large area and had a balance of commercial and residential properties, having more eyes on the ground would augment the security and police resources already active in the suburb.
“I also enjoy attending the [watch’s] community meetings. It provides me with a chance to interact with the residents of my ward on securityrelated issues.
“If they have concerns that could fall under the council’s responsibility, like dead street lights or issues that attract vagrants to the area, I can then relay those messages to the relevant authorities,” Pegram said.