CONSTANTIA KLOOF NORTH

RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION

THIS RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION NEEDS YOUR  FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE AQUA CARS  WHICH YOU SEE PATROLLING THE AREA !

ARE YOU CONTRIBUTING TO THE aQUA PATROL CAR ?
IF NOT, PLEASE CONSIDER DOING SO !
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT !

ONLY r100 PER MONTH, OR WHATEVER YOU CAN AFFORD !

BANKING DETAILS ARE:

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

January/February 2010 Newsletter

Dear CKN resident

This is the first newsletter for 2010 and though it is a bit lengthy, I trust you will read it and enjoy the news on the area. The new year, I am sure, has seen us all start at a frantic pace and by the time you read this it will probably be March.

The committee has already met for the year and the AGM is planned for mid to end March. Please join us once the date is made known so you can let us know what you would like done in the area.

On 20 February a handful of residents tackled the new park in Kroton Street and cleaned, painted and cut out weeds, amongst other things, to keep the park neat and tidy.
A big thank you to these dedicated persons who came along to assist.
It’s such a pity that we have graffiti artists in the area. What does this achieve? We did catch 3 culprits in the area and they were handed to the police. A resident from Okkerneut Str. and myself also cleaned an open area and drain on the day. We will have to do the finer tasks ourselves if we want to keep CKN clean. City Parks have been very helpful in cutting open areas within our borders. At the time of writing, Gautrans, after much persuasion, was busy cutting grass along Hendrik Potgieter. Some more clean-ups are planned and I hope you will join us as we make our neighborhood a sought-after area. Please maintain your pavement as it contributes to a tidy area.

We continue to employ someone to pick up litter, clean open areas and remove grass from the road. This is your R100 per month at work.

Of course, area maintenance should not need to take place but the reality is, we need to get involved if we want to maintain our property prices and have a desirable place to live.

Crime-combating remains our primary goal. 2009 saw 12 crime-related incidents that I am aware of, down from 19 in 2008.  Regrettably, I am already aware of three incidents by the end of February 2010: Two burglaries and a home invasion.  The home invasion involved two residents held at gun point and locked in the bathroom.  This on a Sunday at 18h00. Entry seems to have been over the wall and through an open door. Please be aware of your surroundings at all times and be aware of your own safety. The police and CKN can only do so much.

Aqua Security remains our preferred service provider and we all know the Aqua car driving around. Please ensure that as a member you have a white and blue CKN membership board that allows Aqua on your property. Should you have a board and are not a member, please join us. We need you.

Subs are not going to be raised and will remain at R100 per month but we certainly have room to grow our numbers.

On that note, once again a big thank you to all those that supported us during the past year. CKN is still going strong and I think we cannot afford to lag in our efforts.

I still continue to send out weekly mails of news and events in the area and so if you are not getting at least one mail a week, I do not have your email address or have an incorrect one. I get so many stories back on how the mail made folk more aware of their surroundings and in many instances, prevented a the occurrence of a crime. We have also returned many pets to their owners. E-mail me at chairman@ckn.org.za

At the last sector meeting that I attended at the police station the following was highlighted for our sector:
Weltevredenpark remains a concern with regard to house robberies, burglaries & theft of cars. Please do not make yourself a target. House robberies largely between 18h00 & 24h00.
Drugs are an issue in the area but mostly because the users stay in the sector. Drug dealers enter the area to do their selling.  Report suspicious cars!

I think that is all for now.

Stay safe

John Baisley

A burglary   is when your house is broken into whilst you are away. The SAPS will come to take statements but will not "break their necks" to get to you as it is now after the event.

A robbery is when you have been held up and robbed at gunpoint. When a robbery is reported, all available resources are dispatched to the caller.

Please make the differentiation between the two crimes when phoning the SAPS.

Stickers identifying you as a CKN resident are available. Please collect from the Chairman. These stickers are available to members and non-members.

AQUA SECURITY – VISIBILITY IS KEY TO COMBATTING CRIME!

For the folk that don’t know - Aqua Security is a security company which actively patrols, doing a minimum amount of kilometres per day or per shift.  They started patrolling in two Associations which boarder CKN, hence our making use of Aqua.  As their vehicle is dedicated to our area, CKN, it does not leave the area and response times are fast.  Back-up vehicles are also close at hand.  They have also come up with excellent rates for folk in the area, including armed response. Aqua provides a full armed response service so you can switch from your existing armed response company.

Paying members in CKN currently pay R100 per month which includes subs and the patrol car which is in the area 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.   If you aren’t contributing, please consider doing so (see banking details below).  

Aqua is monitored by the committee and CKN pays Aqua monthly.  If you are on email, you would have noted that Aqua have on many occasions this year apprehended criminals but more than that because of their visibility, deterred many a would-be criminal.  However, your safety starts with YOU!   Always be on the alert.   Don’t leave any doors unlocked!   Watch to see if you are being followed home!   Is your house number clearly visible in case of an emergency?   Are the members of your family and your employees safety-conscious?  Do you know your neighbour in case of an emergency?   Are you contributing to the Aqua Patrol vehicle which you see riding around the area?

DON'T EVER THINK IT WON'T HAPPEN TO YOU !   CRIME HAPPENS !

PLEASE REMEMBER:

To keep the 24/7 AQUA car running for your safety and protection, we rely on monthly contributions of R100 from the residents of CKN

FINANCES

The running of the 24-hour patrol is presently taking most of the funds collected on a monthly basis. This is however a good cause as can be seen from the monthly crime statistics. Please support this endeavour as the more cash we collect each month, the more we can contribute to the area, such as beautifying the entrance to CKN from Hendrik Potgieter which is going to be a costly exercise.

Please check that you are contributing on a regular basis as irregular payments make it difficult to budget. Please pay to CKN by electronic transfer, or we will collect a cheque from you if need be.

Finally, please get a membership number from the treasurer to be used when crediting CKN. Many payments received are not being allocated correctly because no reference number is quoted. Incomes Statements are available on request.

Our Treasurer is Magda de Kloe.  Tel.no: 011 675 0338    E-mail:  jdekloe@mweb.co.za

Please give your name and street address as reference when paying by direct deposit.

HOW DO I PAY?

To top of page

Welcome to all the new folk in the area!  

You have an active and successful Residents Association.  If we have not called on you, please let us know and a member of the community will come to see you with a membership brochure.  

The membership base is made up of paying members, patrol members, those who update boards, maintain web sites, street helpers and many other small and ad hoc projects.  Some folk cannot afford the CKN membership fees but offer their time instead.  This is equally important.   Others contribute financially as they are often away and travel.  Many do both. 

We need each and every person to be part of CKN in some form as together we can make a difference.  If you do not wish to contribute towards the Aqua patrol car, you can still pay CKN subs and become a member.  

DATA BASE

Alan Davis in Bamboes Street is completing a database of all residents in the area.

Please contact Alan on davis4@absamail.co.za who will forward a short questionnaire to you to complete.

WHAT DOES THE HONEYDEW CPF DO ?

Many folk ask this question.  

The CPF or Community Police Forum, is a body established to represent all the Resident Associations falling within the Honeydew Precinct, of which there are over 40. A major objective of community policing is to establish an active partnership between the Police and the community through which crime, service delivery and Police–community relations can jointly be analyzed and appropriate solutions be designed and implemented.

Every month there is a combined CPF/Police meeting at the Printing Training College in Honeydew where various issues are discussed, typically:

Chairman’s report – here the Chairman of the CPF explains how the CPF spent your money for the month which could be anything from new Police vehicles to curtains for the Station Commander’s Office.

Station Commander’s report - includes things such as:

• Comments on Crime Prevention
• Crime Statistics.
• Report on detectives and arrests
• Report back on Police Reservists

Councillors – here the various Councillors representing the Wards covered by the RA’s talk about issues of the day e.g. the ongoing power blackouts, rate hikes, townhouse development etc.

Metro Traffic – What’s happening on our roads, manpower shortages etc.

General – any new issues

Meeting will split off into the various Sector Meetings – This is where the different RA’s get to discuss crime issues with the Inspector responsible for their area .Typically, two representatives from each RA attend these meetings but anyone is welcome to attend and raise concerns directly with the people responsible. Obviously the more money the CPF has in its coffers, the more that can be achieved in helping the Police fight crime. Some RA’s charge the residents on a monthly basis and they are able to afford things like a 24hr Patrol Car manned by Police Reservists (Welridge RA, Constantia Kloof North RA) which is exclusively for those residents.    CKN ask residents for R65 per month, which INCLUDES a contribution to the CPF which pays for the following:

Staffing the CPF - Staffing the OPS Room (Honeydew Police Station Ops Room is manned 24 hours per day, 7  days a week, by trained personnel, paid for by your contributions)

Staffing the Trauma Centre - which is at the Honeydew Police Station

We always need help as a small number of folk run CKN. Please offer your services, we can use you.
Thank you to all those folk who have come forward and offered their services in the area.