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0 viewsSeveral years ago, I was mugged when walking home from the library. I had no money on me, nor did I have a cell phone, i-pod or any other form of electronic valuable. All I had was a bag full of library books and a packet of wine gums.
There were four of them. They pulled up next to me in a dilapidated old car and the driver called out to me, asking for directions. Meanwhile, the passenger got out and ran towards me, knife in hand. He pressed the knife against my stomach and demanded that I hand over my valuables. On hearing that I had nothing worth stealing, the driver got out the car and searched me – getting angrier as it became more and more apparent that I didn’t have anything.
In the end, I pre-empted any violence by giving up my wine gums. They took my books as well.
Crime is something of an obsession for most South Africans. We gather together in groups to swap our own crime anecdotes as well as horror stories that happened to people we know. Another popular topic is police ineptitude and corruption.
A study, conducted in 2007 by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, found that the upward trend in South African crime statistics is related to a growing subculture of violence in contemporary society. This subculture is fed by economic inequality, chronic poverty and youth vulnerability. These factors create a situation in which extreme violence is normalized. Additionally, the criminal justice system is beset by a multitude of issues, including, but not limited to, inefficiency, corruption and, simply put, a lot of crime.
However, there are several initiatives, undertaken by private groups, aimed at combatting crime in innovative ways.
Turn It Around is such an initiative. Founded by Gerald Yapp last year (2011) and described as a “community effort to fight crime,” Turn It Around is based on a very simple premise. Crime will be fought by making individuals aware of the goings on in their respective communities.
Turn It Around creates networks of informed citizens based on their locations. When an individual joins a network, they subscribe to Turn It Around’s free sms alert system. Alerts can also be sent out via email or Twitter, depending on the preference of the individual involved. Once a member of the network, members can report suspicious activity or localized issues – such as potholes or abandoned and neglected buildings, which attract criminals. This creates, in the words of Mr Yapp, a “community of information” which can be sent to the police and used in the on-going effort to combat crime in South Africa. Additionally, Turn It Around offers an anonymous tip-off service for people wishing to report police corruption or for criminal informants.
A similar service is offered by eBlockWatch. This organization collects and disseminates information about criminal activities in particular suburbs. This information is then sent to residents signed up with the program, making them aware of criminal activities in their respective areas.
eBlockWatch offers a “community button” service. This is similar to a panic button. It works like this: a subscriber to eBlockWatch provides the contact details of several friends and/or family. When an emergency occurs, and the individual finds himself or herself in trouble, he or she can alert the people who care most – at the press of a button. An sms is sent out, making sure friends and family are aware of the threat to the subscriber.
Another initiative, of an entirely different nature, has been set up by a security company called the Mountain Men. The Mountain Men offer the usual array security services, armed response, setting up alarm systems and so forth. However, what makes them effective as an anti-crime measure is a service called “mountain observation”. Simply put, the Mountain Men utilize Cape Town’s most famous landmark – Table Mountain – as a vantage point. This allows them, through observation, to pre-empt crime and report and stop suspicious activity. They have been remarkably successful and the information they have already provided to the police, has led to over 2000 arrests in recent years.
These are a few innovative, community driven efforts to combat crime in South Africa. The ties between these groups and the police are strong; after all, as Mr Yapp so eloquently put it, “we all have a common enemy in crime.”
For more information, go to:
//www.turnitaround.co.za/howitworks
//www.eblockwatch.co.za/index.php?view=home&show=howitworks
//www.mountainmen.co.za/services/
Images: Salome Fick