As indicated in our newsletter in early March, the CRA decided to begin partial roll out of the fight crime plan on 5 March, even though we still haven’t reached the minimum number of subscribers needed for the full implementation. (Remember - your initial commitment is only for one year.)

What is happening

·         ADT has two additional vehicles already in operation. Within the next 10 days they will be marked as “Craighall” and “Craighall Park”.

·         Dedicated cell phone numbers have just been allocated. A special mail out with this information will be done shortly to subscribers only. Subscribers will be able to phone the on-duty officers to ask for additional patrols if they are having a function or to request the escort/driveway meeting service - or if there is an emergency.

·         ADT is preparing luminous wall plaques for all subscribers. As soon as these are ready ADT will send out a team to attach them so that subscribers can be easily identified and given priority wherever possible.

·         The guard huts will be rendez-vous points. One of the 2 huts in Craighall Park is to be relocated by ADT to Craighall – we still need to identify a suitable site. If you have a suggestion please contact John T (contact details below) or Roly Meyer (011 442-6801, rolymeyer@mweb.co.za).

·         We’d also like to know if you experience any crime incident (in our area), be it an attempted burglary or worse. Send a brief note (date/nature of incident/your street) to Wendy McAllister at wendym@creativecoms.co.za, copy to Steve Margo at ADT - smargo@tycoint.com. This will allow us to see which areas are having a bad patch and need additional patrols.

LET’S ALL TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

The momentum is there but CRA members and others will continue to inform the community about the plan and to encourage everyone to take some responsibility for fighting the crime scourge. We are not “out to lynch” (assuming you saw the wonderful Zapiro cartoon in the Sunday Times about David Bullard) but neither will we continue to be victims. Please keep working on friends and neighbours in our suburbs to join up.

A CRA debit order form is attached. An ADT addendum form can be downloaded from our website (www.cra.org.za/fight_crime.htm) or email Steve Margo above to have one sent to you. At this stage we would prefer you to fax your CRA form to Wendy (011 325-7160) or email a scanned version or pop it into her (secure) postbox at 21 Beaufort Avenue CP. ADT forms can be faxed to 011 444-4564.

Even if you wish to use other forms of payment (eg pay by cheque for the whole year at once – discounted to R2002) please still complete the CRA form indicating your preferred payment method.

Well done team!

What is also important to say is that a small group has worked very hard to get the plan to this point. Our hard-working Chairman John Turpin deserves support; a fair amount of legwork has also been done by Roly Meyer, Peter Heritage, Wendy McAllister and Mike Holgate (and to Mike, who has just stepped down, thank you for your contribution). Special thanks must also go to Fran and Bill Haslam who have put in hours of time creating a database of subscribers to meet both the specifications of FNB and the CRA’s own stringent financial management procedures. Last, but not least, thanks to ADT and the guards who helped us hand out information and to Isabella Pinheiro of Wendy Machanik Properties who has used WMP’s call centre facilities to help with getting the message out there.

Administering the debit order system – we have a job for you!

If any resident out there would like to assist the CRA for a couple of days a month (on a remunerated basis although a volunteer would also be welcome!) please contact John Turpin urgently at 011 325-4547 or jrturpin@mweb.co.za.

Annual subscriptions due!

If you haven't yet paid your subs for 2007, this is a reminder! The form can be downloaded from our website - www.cra.org.za/cra_subscription.htm

News to follow
Our next newsletter will have some important news. We will also confirm the date of the AGM – at this stage we are considering late May or early June.

We will also be sending out the list of everyone who has subscribed to date to the fight crime plan, and, space permitting, will include a separate listing by street so you can check if your neighbours are pulling their weight!

Thanks again to all who care enough about our community to have joined ranks. All who were present at last year’s AGM will remember the resident, now wheelchair-bound, who so eloquently described how his life had changed after being shot – and we remember too those residents who have lost their lives in so unnecessary and brutal a fashion.

If you don't do anything else today, complete the attached debit order form and send it back right away.