Residents of Ward 16 in Gwabalanda are appealing for assistance in providing protective clothing for their neighbourhood watch team, which is in charge of the community’s security.
Comprising local volunteers, the neighbourhood watch team is committed to safeguarding the community, but often face danger due to lack of proper equipment.
The Gwabalanda West Neighbourhood Watch Committee requires protective clothing, safety shoes, torches and rain gear .
Sipho Ndlovu, chairman of the Gwabalanda West Neighbourhood Watch Committee, expressed the need for adequate equipment for their patrol team.
“With the surge in crime in our ward, we urgently require equipment for our neighbourhood team. We need safety shoes, torches and raincoats for when it is raining. Criminals now operate even during daylight, including syphoning fuel from vehicles,” Ndlovu remarked.
“We have 600 households here, and we wish every household could have whistles to alert each other of suspicious activities. While we have a community WhatsApp group, some residents may not check it promptly, making whistles a more reliable means to notify our patrol team.”
The neighbourhood watch committee chairman emphasised the importance of uniforms to members to make sure they are easily identified by the police, especially during nighttime patrols.
“Recently, our team apprehended a thief, but we suspect that the increased visibility led the criminal to shift to daytime theft. Nonetheless, we are pleased that the perpetrator received an 18-month imprisonment sentence,” Ndlovu stated.
In addition to uniforms, residents are also seeking safety shoes and raincoats to enhance the team’s safety and efficiency, particularly during the rainy season.
Neighbourhood watch teams in Zimbabwe emerged in the late 1990s in response to rising crime rates and inadequate law enforcement.
Initially, their focus was on crime prevention through surveillance and reporting suspicious activities.
Over time, some teams expanded their scope to include community outreach, education, and crime prevention programme.
Busisiwe Mowane, another member of the neighborhood watch committee, highlighted the necessity of reviving the team due to the escalating crime rate in their area.
“We have witnessed the positive impact of revitalising the patrol team, as evidenced by the recent arrest and subsequent sentencing of a thief to 18 months in prison,” Mowane noted, expressing gratitude to the police for their collaboration.
“As women, we now feel safer knowing there is a patrol team, but we appeal to anyone who can assist us with protective clothing, safety shoes, torches, and rain gear to support the team and bolster their morale in carrying out their duties. We truly appreciate their dedication to safeguarding residents.”
