School children and helpers in our suburb have, over the years, been mugged of their cell phones and cash. The muggers are usually armed and never harm the children – but this is unacceptable.
They all have a right to walk the streets of our suburb safely. The muggings must stop. And we aim to do exactly that.
Sacred Heart College; 072-NO-CRIME, the local security company looking after the safety of 350 households in Observatory, the Yeoville Police and the Observatory Ratepayers Association made a plan:
072-NO-CRIME at a personal expense of more than R8 000 erected four fully functional “panic boxes” or “safe spots” around Sacred Heart College.
It is simple: you child carries a remote panic button and if he is in trouble or feels threatened he just have to push his panic within 30-40 metres from the safe spot.
A signal is sent to 072-No-Crime’s unmarked, armed patrol car in the area, as well as the Yeoville Police, who will both react within seconds. The signal will state clearly: “School Panic at Mons or Judith, etc” so your child’s exact location will be known to the response team.
Sacred Heart College’s security team on duty at the gates will also be part of the Yeoville Police and 072-NO-CRIME task team. Suspicious people and vehicles will be reported directly to them to ensure an instant response.
Where are these “safe spots”? The boxes have been erected on the corners of:
Innes Street and Mons
Eckstein Street and Steyn
Eckstein Street and Judith
Eckstein Street and Kloof, near the small shopping centre.
What will this cost you? No monthly fee, just a once-off cost for the panic button at R100 per panic. If you have a helper using these routes, we suggest you buy a panic for her and your child.
What can you, as parents and employers, do to help?
Ensure that your children and helpers each have a panic button. You can order them directly from Patrick Murphy at 072-NO-CRIME (072-66-27463).
Ensure that your child and helper has the 072-NO-CRIME (072-66-27463) number on his or her cell phone’s speed dial, even if they do not have a panic button. Help is available.
Put 072-NO-CRIME (072-66-27463) on YOUR speed dial. When you drop off your child, keep your eyes open for suspicious people around the school and report them immediately to that number.
Please support this initiative. We need to keep our children safe in our streets.
NOTE: The Domestic Forum meeting is this Friday, 3 August 2007 from 10am in the park next to the Jewish Guild Bowling club, corner Kloof and Frederick Street. Please tell you helpers about it.
Posted 2 August 2007 by
Anna Monyepao was rewarded with R400 for phoning the 072-NO-CRIME number that led to the arrest of two suspects. With her is the Obs Crime Sector Forum's translator, Michael Phiri (right) and Sipho Nkutha of 072-NO-CRIME who responded to her phone call.
Domestic Forum works!
Your child and helper can now walk our pavements a bit safer - and the Observatory Crime Sector Forum's (OCSF) Domestic Forum is paying off within a month!
Not only did a phone call from one helper to 072-NO-CRIME lead to the arrest of two suspects last month, but another helper was saved from an attack through phoning the suburb's crime hotline yesterday (Monday 21 May 2007).
"And they can now be even safer," says OCSF chairman Patrick Murphy. "Four panic boxes down Innes Road and Eckstein Street are in place and residents can now order panic buttons for their helpers and children - in fact, anyone who wants to walk safely in the area."
The system is simple: each panic box is fitted with a receiver and should a helper or child be in trouble within 30 meters of each box, they just have to push their panic button. The armed patrol car in the area will receive a signal from the specific box and respond immediately.
The three panic boxes around Sacred Heart College are situated on Eckstein/Judith; Eckstein/Steyn; and Innes/Mons and another panic box was installed at Eckstein/Kloof, near the little shopping centre.
Order your panic button for your child and/or helper at R100 each from Murphy at 072-NO-CRIME (072-66-27463) or e-mail him at
. You can also place your order at
"There is no monthly cost at all. The residents will just pay a once-off cost of R100 per panic button," says Murphy.
At the recent Domestic Forum meeting Murphy handed over R400 cash to Anna Monyepao, a worker in Da Gama Street, who phoned 072-NO-CRIME when she saw two men carrying a swimming pool pump down the road. Theo Ferreira and Sipho Nkutha of 072-NO-CRIME responded to her call and arrested the men and handed them over to the Yeoville Police. The suspects have since been linked to the spate of gate motor thefts in the suburb.
"We promised the suburb's helpers a R200 reward for each suspect arrested and R500 for each illegal firearm recovered. Anna's quick response brought her R400 in her pocket," says Murphy.
In another incident yesterday a helper was chased by two armed men down Eckstein Street. "She phoned 072-NO-CRIME and we gave chase. The two suspects were caught in Innes Road, but could unfortunately not be charged as they didn't physically rob the woman of her personal belongings - but it proves that the helpers are aware that help is on hand," according to Murphy.
The next Domestic Forum meeting will be on Friday, 6 July 2007 from 10am in the park next to the Jewish Guild Bowling club, corner Kloof and Frederick Street. Please tell you helpers about it.
Updated 5 June 2007 by
Domestic Forum launched
The Observatory Crime Sector Forum (OCSF) has successfully launched a strong Domestic Forum.
Nearly 50 workers in Observatory met Patrick Murphy, chair of the OCSF, in the park adjacent to the Jewish Guild last Friday and voiced their concerns about crime.
A plan of action was decided on:
All the workers undertook to phone 072-NO-CRIME (072-66-27463) should they see anything or anyone suspicious.
All workers registered their cell phone numbers with Patrick and will send him "please call me's" if they have no airtime to phone 072-NO-CRIME
Patrick introduced a reward system for arrests. Should any suspects be arrested because of information supplied by the workers, a reward of R200 per suspect will be paid out.
Should any illegal firearms be recovered because of a worker's information, the reward is R500.
The workers were told to NEVER let strangers onto the properties unless instructed by their bosses
Radio transmitters will be installed at the pedestrian entrances at Judith/Eckstein; Steyn/Eckstein and Mons/Innes by end April. Panic buttons will be available to workers to use if they are in trouble or see anything suspicious. Should the panic button be pressed, an unmarked armed response vehicle will respond to the specific area.
The next Domestic Forum meeting will take place at 10am on Friday, 4 May 2007, at the park in Kloof Street next to the Jewish Guild Bowling Club
Keep your helper AND the school kids safe!
