Mabille Watch Raising Funds
A fund raiser held recently in Mabille Park has given security efforts in the area a welcome boost. Residents were invited to buy hot dogs, burgers and cooldrinks in an effort to generate much needed funds.
“We had an incredible response to this fundraising idea,” says Mabille Park Neighbourhood Watch Chair Leon Langenhoven. “The day wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our incredible sponsors. We actually had almost 300 pre-orders for burgers and hotdogs before the day even started. With the money we raised, we hope to go a long way in protecting our streets.”
The Mabille Park Neighbourhood Watch was started about two years ago. There are 288 homes in the Watch’s area, which stretches from Voortrekker Road to Mabille Street, and from Mabille Street to Protea Street.
“I am grateful for the support we received (for our fundraiser), but we need our residents to become active participants in their own safety. This means they have to be far more vigilant and careful – for example, we still see too many doors left standing open, gates left unlocked, and homes where outside lights are not switched on at night to act as a deterrent,” says Langenhoven.
The Watch has a good working relationship with local police and other neighbouring community watches, and Langenhoven says they regularly hold joint patrols which also involves local private security companies.
The Watch also received a donation of reflective vests and pepper spray canisters from Fidelity ADT. Community development manager for the area, Hendrik Cloete, says the company will also work with the Watch to connect their patrollers to the extensive Durbanville Camera Initiative (DCI) radio network.
“The police and security companies need the ‘eyes and ears’ that community projects such as the Mabille Park Watch can provide, to help us deploy our resources in the most effective manner. The Northern Suburbs is already seeing incredible positive results from the DCI network, and we hope that by supporting our friends in Mabille Park we can expand this safety net to cover an even bigger area,” explains Cloete.
For more information about the Mabille Park Neighbourhood Watch, visit their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/1176740225717414/
[Pictured is Fidelity ADT’s Hendrik Cloete (far left), Mabille Watch Chairman Leon Langenhoven (second from right) and other members of the Watch, at the fundraiser.]