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Remote monitoring to secure community

Residents in the Constantia Valley can sleep slightly safer at night thanks to the efforts of the newly formed Constantia Valley Watches Association (CVWA) and the support of local off-site CCTV security monitoring company, Verifier, with the implementation of Visec Licence Plate Recognition (LPR) and overview cameras being installed throughout these areas.

The CVWA – being BKM Watch, Constantia Watch, Constantia Hills Watch, Kirstenhof Watch, Nova Constantia Watch, Plumstead Watch, Southfield Watch and the Tokai Watch – is chaired by Constantia Valley Watch chairman, Mike Voortman. His company, Verifier, has assisted – at no charge – in the piloting of the rollout of CCTV projects across the Valley, which has delivered many successes, from robbers being caught in the Greenbelts, to housebreaking prevention being effected with the LPR system, and even arrests of syndicates.

“The seeds of this association were sown a couple of years ago when Constantia Watch invited Clem Sunter to provide a strategy planning session for Constantia’s Crime watches,” says Voortman. “The fruitful strategy session provided the seeding of what has expanded to the CVWA through a joint initiative of the Community Policing Forums of Diepriver, Constantia and Kirstenhof. The watches are collectively forming a formidable force in the valley to combat and prevent crime, alongside the city and SAPS as our partners.”

Activities are currently run from the BKM Watch and Constantia Watch offices, and the initiative is gaining momentum, with the Constantia Valley Wine Estates, Constantia Village Shopping Centre, and many other businesses already on-board and contributing financially to the wellbeing of the community. The valley has already raised and spent approximately R 1 million for implementation of the LPR cameras and the control room, which are both up and running. Additional camera points being added continuously as further funds are raised. The CVWA area covers approximately 20 000 properties and is already proving to be a solid working model of community co-operation.

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