The community of Oaklands, a suburb within Sector 1 Neighbourhood Watch of Verulam, hosted a Fun Day on Saturday, 6 August, in an attempt to bring communities closer and to ensure that the Community Police Forum, the SAPS and security companies work together in bringing about safety for the residents in the area.
The Oaklands Civic Association has, as one of their pillars, a strong focus on crime prevention and in late 2021 set up the Oaklands Neighbourhood Watch (ONW) with a core set of likeminded individuals. Kumaran Gungarajoo, the chairperson of the Oaklands Civic Association, said the event was an overwhelming success.
He said: “The community was out in their numbers to support us. Surrounding neighbourhoods also showed their support by attending the event. The presence of SAPS, Metro and the security companies that came through was also greatly appreciated. It shows that we share a common vision of crime prevention for safer communities. Stall holders also had positive feedback. All-in-all, everyone was happy and enjoyed the day.”
Gungarajoo said the number of people that attended was approximately 3000 and that people were still streaming in before closing time. “Our Oaklands Neighbourhood Watch chairperson, Zahir Adam and all patrollers have done an excellent job in reducing crime in the area. The commander of Sector 1, Captain Mark Prakasim mentioned in his address that according to statistics, crime had reduced in the area. This goes to show that by observing and reporting suspicious activities, residents aim to reduce crime and improve the safety of the neighbourhood,” said Gungarajoo.
He added: “ONW is an integral part of the community policing philosophy. One which is aimed at achieving effective crime control by creating proactive partnerships and programmes with communities, security companies and other neighbourhood watches. The SAPS studies have shown that neighbourhood watches reduce crime and we have seen the effects as a community. In hosting such an event we would like to thank the organising committee as well as all residents that took the time to make this a successful event. A special thanks to our main sponsor, Ravi Perumal for allowing us the use of the premises which was in honour of his parents,” said Gungarajoo.
Verulam CPF chairperson, Rachel Wilkin, applauded the initiative and said that the fundraising drive undertaken by the Oaklands Neighbourhood Watch is a prime example of a community crime prevention strategy. “Criminals find it harder to operate in areas where there are active citizens and patrols. These initiatives must be embraced to make our areas unattractive to criminals. Residents can promote safety and security through awareness-creating community chat groups. We encourage the reporting of unusual or suspicious activities to the patrol team who maintain relations with our local law enforcement. We also encourage residents to volunteer information about known criminals and crime in the area via known and trusted individuals. This partnership created through CPF and community patrol initiatives support our local police and benefit our communities. We offer our deepest gratitude to the men and women who volunteer their time and resources to keep our communities safe. They are also creating positive role models for our youth. We need to nurture and nourish community roots to develop a sense of pride and belonging so our young people aspire to become good citizens and add great value to society.”
