The Heather Park Neighbourhood Watch (HPNW) is a partnership which involves the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Community Police Forum (CPF), Local Authorities, Security Service Providers and, above all, individuals and families who want to make our neighborhood Heather Park a safer place to live.

The HPNW is run and structured in terms of the Western Cape Provincial Constitution and Code of Conduct for Neighbourhood Watch Structures (WCNWS).

The HPNW aims to help people protect themselves and their properties, and to reduce the fear of crime by means of active, visable citizen patrols, improved home security tips, greater vigilance, accurate reporting of suspicious incidents and crime, and by fostering a community spirit. All these efforts engender a caring community and reduce the opportunities for crime.

If you would like to be part of the HPNW, fill in our Membership Form and the Indemnity Form. Once your form has been received you may contact any member of the Executive Commitee, who will explain the HPNW concept and benefits.

The HPNW relies on voluntary participation of all neighbours who live and/or work in the area, whether you are a home or flat owner, tenant, retiree, work from home, housewife/man or even a dog walker or cyclist.

  

As a result of the increase in crime affecting our neighbourhood, a group of dedicated residents has spent the last few years devising an appropriate response. We have modelled our strategy on various Neighbourhood Watch initiatives and discussions with various stakeholders.

In consultation with the South African Police (SAPS) and our own understanding of the area we are in the process of demarcating HPNW into Blocks to make management more effective.

The primary objective of the HPNW is to substantially reduce crime in our area, provide for an effective and immediate response to criminal activity and promote frequent and up-to-date communication between the HP resident community.

We aim to achieve this by introducing:

• Organizing ourselves for more effective functionality with sustainable plans
• Selective Community neighbourhood patrols (roster system)
• Developing a communication network that allows direct and immediate radio access to all HPNW members, police, armed response companies, fire services and various Blocks (two-way radios, cellphones)
• Effective communication between members of HPNW which will include latest technology (phone calls, e-mail, WhatsApp, SMS, radio calls, etc.)
• Collation of data on criminal activity from primary (victims) and secondary (police and armed response companies) sources by type, time and frequency allowing us to identify crime hotspots, trends and escape routes.
• A “specialised skills” database focusing on
   – Safety and security
   – Medical / paramedical
   – Fire and general disaster management
   – Legal
   – Financial
   – Administrative

If you are a resident, business owner, home or flat owner, tenant, retiree, work from home, housewife/man, dog walker and are interested in improving safety in this area, your involvement will be most welcome.

HPNW is entirely voluntary. The effectiveness of this initiative is dependent on the participation of Heather Park residents. Please join us in making HPNW safe. Speak to friends, neighbours and colleagues and persuade them to sign up.

If you would like to get involved, click here to get registered or click here to get in contact with us.