A new state-of-the-art municipal control room is part of Stellenbosch Municipality’s goal to become the safest municipality in the country. This was according to Stellenbosch mayor Gesie van Deventer, who opened the facility on 8 March. The municipality aims to reach its goal of being the safest municipality in South Africa by 2025.
The control room is a project which has been in the works for years, since the conception of the Stellenbosch Safety Initiative (SSI), said Stuart Grobbelaar, Stellenbosch Municipality communications manager, at the launch.
Grobbelaar explained that the new venue will serve as a centralised base where members of the SSI will be able to share intelligence and information, as well as coordinate quicker responses to crime-related incidents in the municipality. He added that the control room will provide 24-hour coverage of the municipality, seven days a week.
From left to right: Municipal manager at Stellenbosch Municipality Geraldine Mettler, director of community and protection services at Stellenbosch Municipality Gary Boshoff, Stellenbosch mayor Gesie van Deventer, protection services manager at Stellenbosch Municipality Charl Kitching, and mayoral committee member for protection services councillor Rikus Badenhorst at the official opening of the new control room in Stellenbosch. PHOTO: Stuart Grobbelaar
According to Grobbelaar, the SSI currently includes municipal law enforcement, traffic services, disaster management, the South African Police Service, community policing forums, neighbourhood watches, private security companies, and Stellenbosch University’s Campus Security.
“As far as we’re aware, the SSI is the first in the country,” said Grobbelaar. He added that many other municipalities have since developed a similar model of collaborative security partnerships.
“All the towns are covered, all the entrances are covered, the CBDs are covered… we can see if there is an incident and we can act immediately,” said Van Deventer. She specified that this coverage extends to all areas covered by the municipality, including Raithby, Klapmuts, and Franschhoek.
The control room will have two main benefits for crime prevention: The early detection of crimes and the sourcing of evidence which can be used to make convictions. This is according to councillor Rikus Badenhorst, mayoral committee member for protection services.
Stellenbosch’s new municipal control room is a collaborative effort between all the safety and security partners in the municipality, according to Stellenbosch mayor Gesie van Deventer. She stated that the entirety of the municipality, including areas such as Raithby, Klapmuts and Franschhoek, will be monitored on a 24-hour basis from this venue. PHOTO: Nakishka Skriker
Speaking at the official opening, Badenhorst stated that, currently, law enforcement primarily receives communications through a broadband system where radio waves are utilised. He said that the next goal is to do everything through fibre connection.
“Unfortunately, in our country, crime is something one has to pay attention to, so we are looking forward to creating a much safer, much better Stellenbosch,” said Van Deventer.
“People can live without other things – security is non-negotiable,” said Stellenbosch mayor Gesie van Deventer at the unveiling of Stellenbosch Municipality’s new control room. The control room forms part of the municipality’s plan for Stellenbosch to become the safest town in South Africa by 2025, according to Van Deventer. PHOTO: Nakishka Skriker
According to the executives of the Cloetesville, Timberlea and Idas Valley Neighbourhood Watches, integration of the neighbourhood watches with the Stellenbosch Safety Partnership (SSP) is a huge milestone for volunteers, who now feel acknowledged in their service.
The group stated that the control room is a great initiative to link all of the safety structures in the municipality and “enhance the communication channel that [will] benefit everybody with a dispatch of rapid response from first responders”.