CRA - important information
 for the end of the year

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Another year disappears…

For many it has been a tough year. We hope, however, that you’ll all have the opportunity to take a year-end break and that 2008 will be a happy, prosperous and successful year for all our residents. We end the year with a focus on security and related matters. We’d be very appreciative if you can indicate your interest in the resuscitated Domestic Watch programme. We’ve also had an appeal from the Parkview Community Policing Forum (see below).

The end-of-year Crier is about to be distributed: with a number of street reps away it may take longer than usual to get into your post box. If you’d like a PDF version to be mailed to you, just drop a line to Wendy McAllister (wendym@creativecoms.co.za).

Domestic Watch

 “For evil to triumph, it is only necessary for good men to do nothing”

After observing how other communities have successfully co-ordinated and held Domestic Watch crime prevention meetings, and how they have certainly assisted in reducing  crime in these areas, the CRA is planning on re-introducing our own Domestic Watch meetings in 2008.  

All we need is your commitment and co-operation to encourage domestics and gardeners to attend and learn the vast variety of techniques to prevent crime from happening and to learn to become the eyes and ears of the Police.2  

We are all incredibly concerned about the crime in our area, and a lot of us have invested heavily in security in an attempt to keep our families and possessions safe, but our helpers are potentially an easy target for these criminals. And don’t forget that a lot of us leave our children in the safe hands of our domestics and/or child minders each day…..  It is up to us to empower them with knowledge and ensure that we are all aware of what is going on around us.  

We have approached Penny Steyn, co-ordinator, writer and presenter of very successful Domestic Watch meetings in our neighbouring suburbs.  Penny mentioned that, surprisingly, Craighall and Craighall Park has been slow on the uptake for such meetings.  

Meetings are held monthly, for one hour, and cost R20,00 per session. There are ten monthly sessions per year.  At this stage, the venue is the Rosebank Union Church in Hurlingham but, if we have sufficient support, we may be able to move to a suitable venue closer to home.  

Briefly, the workshop content includes:  

  Facts and stats about crime and why crime prevention is necessary

Understanding police crime jargon

 Property security

Security companies and the police

Self Defence

Employing staff and outside contractors

What to watch out for in your neighbourhood

 Vehicles and travelling

 Contacts and critical telephone numbers

Criminals and their techniques

Money and banking

 Once the course in completed, there is a graduation ceremony and each participant gets a certificate.  

There is no question that this initiative will benefit the community and it is a relatively small investment in time and money, for huge gain.  We want to begin the meetings in January 2008 and would be very keen to ascertain interest from the community.  

Once we know how many people we can anticipate attending these meetings, we can then finalise a venue and times.  

Please email Kerryn Lawson on kerrynl@meropa.co.za with the following:  

  • I would be interested in supporting Domestic Watch               Y/N
  • Number of staff likely to attend                                             ___
  • If required, I am happy to help with transport                           Y/N

 If you have any further constructive advice or wish to get involved by assisting with these meetings, please let Kerryn know.

We hope to hear from you soon.  

A special thank you to Jawitz Properties who have committed to assisting us in communicating Domestic Watch to the community.

An appeal from the Parkview CPF

Dear Residents  

While many of us will on holiday, the police will be out in full force trying to secure our precious earthly possessions. To show our support for the men and women in blue during the festive season and in particular over Christmas and New Year we would like to raise/solicit money from residents in the greater Parkview Precinct, (including Craighall/ Park, Parkview, Westcliff, Greenside, Emmarentia, Parkwood, Parktown

North) which will be used to buy food (Nando's & KFC) vouchers for approximately 63 staff who will be working over this period. We would like residents and interested parties to donate R100 per household to this initiative. As we are not sure of who will or won’t be donating any surplus funds donated will be passed on to the CPF(Community Policing Forum). If you are not familiar with the CPF please contact 

Richard Dancer on richard@hillaldam.co.za for more info. All funds should be transferred into the CPF's account. The initiative will be managed by myself, Erik de Jager (member of the Parkview Residents Association) and Richard dancer from the CPF.  

First National Bank,

Craighall Branch Code 25 58 05,

Parkview Community Policing Forum

Account No: 62082896899.  

Please forward this email to all residents in the Areas included in the email.  

Many thanks for your consideration and support.

Kind regards

Erik de Jager

0837003784

erik@whatwewant.co.za 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SPECIAL Newsletter - JUNE

AGM 2007 Report back

Our thanks again to Bobby Godsell and Snr Supt Moodley for their contribution. For those who couldn’t attend, John Turpin’s last Chairman’s report is on the CRA website (http://www.cra.org.za/chairman_report2007.htm). On behalf of residents, a gift was presented to John Turpin and his wife Lyn. Jill Weldon has also stepped down from the Executive – we thank her for the many hours of work she has put in on behalf of residents over the years. Jill has indicated, however, that she’ll continue to assist in the Community Affairs portfolio.

 

It was gratifying to see the number of residents who have come forward to assist the CRA. John (Turpin) is currently holding discussions with five people who have volunteered for the Security portfolio. Harry Rosen (hrosen@tasonline.co.za) will run Membership and Community Affairs, while Chris Taylor (chris@fr.co.za) has volunteered to assist with the Environment portfolio. All new exec members and their email addresses will be posted on the CRA website in the next few weeks. The chairmanship is still being operated on a rotational basis for a minimum of two months at a time, until a chairman is found.

 

We’re still looking for a treasurer to take over from Heidi Kerwin - there must be a resident with some financial background and a little bit of time to assist in this regard! And more assistance in the Community Affairs and Environmental portfolios would make a big difference.

 

A number of question slips were received – we’re currently compiling a response and will include this in the next newsletter.

 

The CRAIGPARK COMMUNITY SECURITY SCHEME

Only as a community working together can we reclaim out streets…

It seems that there is still uncertainty about how the scheme works. To go back a step, at the outset the CRA interviewed a number of security companies and decided to select SAS and ADT.

However, whichever security company you may use, think of the Security Scheme as offering us integrated and enhanced security cover for our two suburbs. The armed response vehicles which arrive when a home’s alarm or panic button is activated are reactive: the patrol vehicles, by moving around constantly and checking on suspicious activity, are proactive.

There is no doubt that the dedicated cell phone number for subscribers to the Scheme is proving a winner. A number of residents have reported a swift and helpful response from one of the ADT patrol vehicles. As one resident wrote, “It was a pleasure being able to summon assistance with a simple telephone call… I certainly feel much more secure with the additional vehicles patrolling the suburbs.”

It stands to reason that the more patrol vehicles we have, the more secure our suburbs will be. If you haven’t yet subscribed, don’t you think you owe it to your family and community to join up? We’re all benefiting from the Scheme but if you’re not paying for it, is it fair to expect others to do this for you?

We are aware that there are some senior residents on a fixed income who find the additional R182 per month a problem: in such instances, each case is considered on its merits. Contact John Turpin (011 325-4547 / jrturpin@mweb.co.za) if you need more information about this or any other security matter.

All you need to do to join…

·         complete the ADT addendum form if you are already an ADT client and fax it to 011 444-4564. Downloadable from  www.cra.org.za/ADT_addendum_form

·         complete the CRA debit order form (www.cra.org.za/debitorderform.pdf)

for any other form of payment (if not paying by monthly debit, delete that section and indicate method of payment, eg one-off payment). Please either fax completed forms to 011 325-7160 or email a scanned version to wendym@creativecoms.co.za.
If paying direct to the Security Scheme account, details are: Craigpark Residents’ Association, FNB Craighall, acc no 62 111 948 446. Please sent proof of payment to Lee Whitfield – fax: 011 788-9086, email fieldsta@iafrica.com.
Notes: We need forms from all subscribers for auditing purposes.
            The CRA controls the debit order run.

A list of all who have subscribed since the list published in the April Crier will be found at the end of this newsletter. Thank you for your support. If any subscriber doesn’t yet have a plaque for their property or hasn’t received the information sheet for subscribers, including the cell phone numbers, please contact Wendy McAllister – 011 325-7165 / wendym@creativecoms.co.za.

Crime alerts

Thieves used a dustbin to stand on when trying to steal an outside camera. If residents put their dustbins out the night before, they might provide the necessary "stepping stone" for a criminal to get over their electrical fence. Try and put your dustbins out in the morning rather than the night before. One resident also reports children being used to get through small windows, having caught such youngsters in the act of entering her property.

 

Proposed CRA “reclaim the river” project

Quite a lot of work is going on behind the scenes at the moment. Initial consultation and planning is needed before projects can be identified: we will consult with and keep residents informed. We intend also to arrange a spring-time river walk. Did you know that Delta Park is 104 hectares, making it the largest park in Johannesburg? If you’d like more information contact Paulette Malcolm at 011 787-3680, email malcolmj@global.co.za.

In the meantime, enjoy this view of the waterfall… it’s on your doorstep!



Community matters 

Celebrate Christmas in July and help several good causes, including our own Deansgate Home for the Aged. Details:

Saturday 28 July 2007, 10:30 for 7:00, Indaba Hotel, Fourways. Tickets are R175 per person (make up a table of 10) and include a raffle ticket, 4-course dinner and wine on the table.

To book contact Joscelin on 082 895 0303 or jw@landandsea.co.za.  

 

Have you paid your 2007 subs yet - only R220 per annum! The form is on line at www.cra.org.za/cra_subscription.htm

 

Latest subscribers to the Community Security Scheme

Please accept our apologies if we have omitted your name. Contact John or Wendy to remedy the situation.

 

P Bond                                     Jeffrey   Boulton                         M & A Bouter

M Butler                                    S Chickesh                               Craighall Estate Body Corporate

Duke’s End Body Corporate        G & D du Plessis                       J Esson 

K-L & D Irvine                            J A Malcolm                              D Morton

G Mudd                                     C & M Nell                                L Persson

F & P Reynolds                         The Courtyards Body Corporate   R Schwartz 

L J van der Merwe                      D Wallner

56 Hamilton Homeowners Association (J & C Broadway, J Burrows, N Naegele)

 

Note: We have a payment made in the name of “141 Kloof St cc” – we can’t trace this to a name on the Security Scheme data base: if you can help, please contact Lee Whitfield at fieldsta@iafrica.com.