CONSTANTIA KLOOF NORTH

RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION

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

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING CKN – WE DESPERATELY NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO KEEP THE AQUA CARS IN THE AREA !!!

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!  WHY NOT JOIN YOUR RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION?

09.12.2008

DECEMBER / JANUARY MANY FOLK ARE AWAY – A WONDERFUL TIME FOR CRIMINALS – PLEASE SUPPORT US WITH AN EXTRA R50 FOR THESE TWO MONTHS SO THAT WE CAN HAVE AN ADDITIONAL AQUA CAR IN THE AREA.

Dear CKN resident

As the year draws to a close, I look back over 2008 and can say with confidence that CKN has survived another year but we still had problems. The crime we encountered was in line with national crime trends, especially the West Rand/Honeydew area. However, whilst CKN experienced 5 house robberies when residents were held up at gun point, we did not experience the high and violent crime rates of other areas.  At times violent crime occurred on a weekly basis. At the time of writing, our reported crime stats sat at 21 incidents, the same as that experienced in 2007.

By the time you read this, the second patrol car would have started in CKN and will be present over the festive period and should run till about mid January. Many folk will be away over December and so extra security is needed. To the many paying members that continue to support CKN, thank you! Your help, support and commitment must be commended as only together can we strive to make our neighbourhood safer.

We have asked for a one off contribution to CKN of R100 to pay for the additional car. If you have not contributed as yet, please do so. We will also be giving the two regular Aqua drivers a bonus. These guys have had a number of shoot outs in CKN this year and have also never hesitated to come to the assistance of non members.   I do not believe the SAPS will get crime under control in the foreseeable future and so it is up to us to take a stand and make the area safer.

Crime for CKN as at the end of November was as follows, listing the previous years as well:

2001 – 54 incidents
2002 – 19
2003 – 34
2004 – 9
2005 – 7
2006 – 14
2007 – 21
2008 – 21

Regrettably over the past weeks numerous business robberies have taken place. The large gangs targeting bigger shopping centres has made prominent news. But close to home, the SPAR on Jim Fouche has seen a number of robberies by gangs as large as 11 armed individuals. One recent incident saw a cashier killed and two weeks later, on a Sunday about 11h30, saw another gang rob the shop. Some of our residents were in the shop and were severely assaulted. Do not be complacent when it comes to your safety. Crime remains a huge problem and will not go away soon.

Sadly the area experienced a number of very tragic deaths and suicides. Our prayers would be that 2009 will be a happier year for the families.

The committee have been busy having grass cut in the area, roads and street lights fixed and we look forward to the new park in Kroton Street. CKN for the first time during the year started paying someone to clean up the area and keep grass cut etc. We must also thank all those that maintain their pavements and keep the neighbourhood tidy. It has all helped to make CKN a sought after area to live.

As always, I urge you to please let me have your email address so you can be kept up to date on crime and news in the area.

Finally, thank you again to all those that have contributed to CKN in the past year. If you are not a member, please join us. Together we can make a difference.

Yours in community

John Baisley
Chairman CKNRAC

Chairman
Honeydew Community Policing Forum (CPF)

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?

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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.