Best security defence is awareness, prevention
By: Graham Porter
Public Safety is a focus for all SRA areas, and indeed for all suburbs in the greater Cape Town area, and Obs is no different.
Crime in our area is ever changing, as the suburb is at a junction of freeways, train and taxi routes, and provides easy access to opportunistic criminals who use that access to get into our neighbourhood, commit crime, and exit via the surrounding entry exit points.
Because of this, we try to position our resources where they can respond quickly and effectively as the pattern of crime changes.
We have had a steady decrease in our crime statistics since March, and our Security Service Provider, OuterShield, is having a really beneficial impact on crime in Obs, the security officers have proved themselves with a constant rate of arrests each month.
We layer our services, and they involve our 2 Public Safety managers, the security team, led by a strong shift manager for each shift, Metro law enforcement officers, and of course, our ever present SAPS Woodstock members on patrol.
As in every city in the world, the best defence against crime is a combination of awareness and prevention. Be aware of your surroundings and the people in them, you don’t need to be paranoid or suspicious of everyone, your instincts and common sense will usually be enough.
Never let anyone you don’t know into your home if unexpected, and keep your security gates locked, it’s amazing how quickly a smart thief can enter and exit your door or gate if left unlocked.
Please report both crime, and suspicious circumstances to the Public Safety team control room on 021 447-1066, they can assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Remember the ONW/OBSID crime info map, updated monthly, it can be accessed on tinyurl.com/ObsPublicCrimeMap and shows where and what type of incidents have occurred in our suburb.
If you see one of the safety officers on the street, say hello and introduce yourself.
They really do enjoy getting to know the residents of OBS!