A new WhatsApp communication channel – used to report incidents of crime – is currently being piloted in Stellenbosch.
This is according to Gretha Groeneveld, Western Cape director of Community Wolf. Stellenbosch was chosen for the pilot, due in part to the increasing crime rate and the amount of incidents that go unreported, said Groeneveld.
Community Wolf is an artificial intelligence-enabled (AI) WhatsApp communication channel used to report suspicious activity and crime. It was launched in Stellenbosch in April, according to Groeneveld.
Users sign up by messaging the channel and will then be guided through the necessary steps.
Gretha Groeneveld, Western Cape director of Community Wolf, will use the incident data collected from Wolf to create crime hotspot maps and make them available to the police, security companies, and the public. “[Firstly] I saw an opportunity to get more accurate data spatially and temporally,” said Groeneveld. “Secondly, this is a wonderful opportunity, I think, to tap into the under- and unreported crime.” PHOTO: Kyla Laing
Stellenbosch densely populated for its size
While current crime trends played a role in choosing Stellenbosch for the pilot, other factors also contributed, said Groeneveld. This included her familiar connections to local security companies.
“Because of the state of the economy and unemployment, […] all levels of crime are increasing,” said André Pelser, chairman of Stellenbosch Community Policing Forum, in an interview with SMF News. “People are desperate – they are struggling to survive.”
Stellenbosch is a densely populated area for its size, said Nick Mills, co-founder of Community Wolf. This also played a role in identifying the town for the pilot.
Partnerships with local security companies
AI has allowed WhatsApp channel users to report incidents with images, voice notes, and texts, which are processed using AI, according to Mills.
Once the users have created an area of interest on WhatsApp, they are able to report through their preferred medium and receive notifications if someone reports in that area, according to Groeneveld.
While there have been no set dates regarding the duration of the pilot, Groeneveld said that it will only end once they are confident in the delivery of the product.
“It’s really important to make sure that the base product is good and solid,” said Groeneveld.
“Our mission is to make everyone in this country feel safe and secure,” said Mills.
Groeneveld said that Community Wolf has partnered with security companies in Stellenbosch, one of which is ABC Security.
“If somebody creates a report on Wolf and it’s severe, [security companies] can actually respond,” said Groeneveld.“Thousands of people can message Wolf at a time, and we can still produce these consistent results into the response ecosystem and […] get awareness,” claimed Mills.
Data crucial to address problems
Groeneveld, who has a PhD in spatial crime research, said that the idea is to use the data to pinpoint crime hotspots and give that information back to community members, law enforcement agents, and private security companies in Stellenbosch.
“[We will] share it with the [South African Police Service] so that they can use it to do a better job,” said Groeneveld.
“We would [use this] hotspot identification for strategic management of crime, particularly crime prevention,” said Pelser.
“Identifying the hotspots will not just assist SAPS,” said Captain Nathalie Martin, communication officer for SAPS Stellenbosch. “It will assist the community to be familiar with identified hotspot areas, streets, day[s], and times when crime occurs.”
A previous map of Stellenbosch Central Hotspots made by Gretha Groeneveld, Western Cape director of Community Wolf. The map was created using incident data reported primarily by Stellenbosch parents, according to Groeneveld. PHOTO: Kyla Laing
Groeneveld said that in order to map correctly, the data has to be reported, and has to be correct and detailed.
“The data that [SAPS shares] with the public is very old,” claimed Groeneveld. “Every three months, they release the crime stats and, in terms of the spatial accuracy, it’s very vague.”
“Without data, we can’t actually do anything. We have to have data,” said Pelser. “We can’t just wait [for] the things to happen. We’ve got to take a step and prevent.”
While Martin denies that SAPS’ data is outdated by the time it reaches the public, she said that SAPS is open to new partnerships and that, through their Community Policing Forum, Community Wolf will become sustainable.
Community Wolf will give Groeneveld access to crime incident data, which allows her to create updated hotspot zones and allocate resources more efficiently in those areas. “Only if we have the data and we know where these things come up [can we] start doing something about it,” said Groeneveld. PHOTO: Kyla Laing