DRUG WATCH LAUNCHED IN GAUTENG (26 June 2013)

Quoting from http://leadsa.co.za/?p=14228

“Today we are launching Drug Watch in Gauteng and the initiative could not come at a better time.

Drugs are devastating many lives and ruining communities across South Africa. Gauteng has been labeled the ‘drug capital’.

The direct link between drugs and domestic violence, rape, abuse and other crimes is well established. To curb these social ills, we need to tackle the drug problem head on and with vigour.

Drug Watch aims to squeeze the space in which drug dealers are able to operate in and to enable communities to deal with the problems they face.

As a Lead SA and Crime Line initiative, Drug Watch aims to highlight and strengthen the efforts of the South African Police Services (SAPS), the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) and Community Policing Forums (CPFs) in clamping down on the trade of drugs.

Drug Watch also has the support of the Premier of Gauteng as well as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

President Jacob Zuma has extended his support too. In a letter of endorsement he writes: ‘It is clear that working together we are poised to intensify the war on drugs and succeed.’

‘We have to target the drug manufacturers and dealers. We also have to start the healing process in communities who have been torn apart as a result of the drug scourge.’

Through the media platforms of Talk Radio 702, 94.7 Highveld Stereo, The Star and The Pretoria News, a spotlight will be shone on the drug scene in the province over the coming weeks.

Stories of police successes, warnings about drug hotspots, personal stories of the impact drugs can have from family members, addicts, recovering addicts and convicts will be shared. The authorities have committed to ramp up their efforts to follow up on all information that comes through from this.

It’s time to educate and inform the nation about the drug evil we are facing.

In addition to encouraging citizens to report drug dealing and manufacturing, Drug Watch also aims to give them an opportunity to break the silence on the destruction that drugs have caused in their lives, families and communities.

Furthermore, Drug Watch seeks to connect those in need of help with the relevant organisations to move them towards rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

Drug Watch was first launched in the Western Cape in November 2012 and ran until January 2013 and during this time, 15 919 arrests were made in connection with drugs, and over R10,5 million worth of drugs was seized.

Further to this, the campaign led to an outpouring of grief from citizens whose lives had been wrecked by drugs. Inconceivable stories about young men under the influence of drugs who raped their mothers and grandmothers, horrific stories of rapid descent into a life of crime and destitution from convicted prisoners and heart-breaking stories from mothers who had lost everything through their child’s drug problem, only to eventually lose their child too.

The stories revealed a drug scene that is far from glamorous, fun or an escape from reality. It showed us the dark truth about the impact drugs have on people’s lives and the extent to which drugs are sweeping through our communities. Children as young as nine years old are being co-opted to sell drugs in their schools.

The focus in the Western Cape has since moved to the Mitchells Plain area which has been identified as a major hotspot.

We hope to do the same in Gauteng and identify the major hotspots in our province.

We decided to launch Drug Watch today because the 26th June is also the United Nations Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit trafficking.”

WE can change the world.

HOME SECURITY TIPS FROM CENTURION SYSTEMS

Centurion Systems, a leading South African gate automation and access control company, below shares some tips on how we can better safeguard ourselves and significantly minimise the likelihood of home invasion. Points covered are: Be vigilant; detect intruders; keep your drive-way well lit; keep your gate motor secure; and be well informed. As per Charl Mijnhardt:

“While the SAPS have made incredible strides in combating crime in South Africa, residential burglary and robberies are still major problems that see thousands of homes ransacked and residents traumatised every year.  Home invasion is an intensely personal attack, an invasion of our privacy and an affront to our sense of security and wellbeing.  In short, when intruders enter our homes, we feel violated.

A major component of the distress we feel after our homes have been burgled, is the prevailing sense of helplessness.  But this need not always be the case.  Centurion Systems, a leading South African gate automation and access control company, shares some tips below on how we can better safeguard ourselves and significantly minimise the likelihood of home invasion.

1. Be Vigilant

Most readers have no-doubt heard the expression ‘prevention is better than cure’, and this philosophy certainly rings true when it comes to effective intruder detection.

Any suspicious activity in the vicinity of your house should be reported immediately to the police or your local armed response company.  Even if you have the slightest inkling that the loiterers in front of your gate might be up to no good, notify the authorities and rest easy in the knowledge that you might just have spared you and your family the trauma of being burgled.

2. Intruder Detection

In this instance, as with so many facets of modern life, technology is your friend.  CENTURION has developed a range of innovative gate automation devices for bringing perimeter security to the home front.  The D-Series range of gate motors, for example, incorporates the revolutionary Intruder-detection Alarm feature-set which can be interfaced with standard infrared safety beams and set to give an audible output whenever the beams are interrupted.  This feature-set, which consists of the Ambush Alarm and Break-in Alarm, can also be relayed to a security company for a comprehensive perimeter protection infrastructure.

3. Keep Your Driveway Well-lit

While criminals have undeniably become bolder in their efforts to get their hands on our possessions, the majority of them still operate under cover of darkness.  A well-lit driveway should go a long way towards ensuring that there is no devious activity taking place at the entrance to your property.  In addition, crime statistics do seem to indicate that the driveway is the setting for a disconcerting number of attacks on homeowners, with opportunistic criminals often hiding in the shadows, waiting to pounce.

Some modern gate motors, such as those manufactured by CENTURION, make provision for the connection of pillar lights which can be configured to switch on the moment that the motor is activated, bathing your driveway in light and hopefully driving away any unwanted nocturnal visitors.

4. Keep Your Gate Motor Secure

If the gate is the final bastion between us and the outside world, then a gate motor is its armour, working in tandem with the gate to create a formidable barrier while also providing supreme convenience and functionality.  Unfortunately, an alarming trend has emerged of late whereby criminals prise open gate motors in order to steal the lead-acid batteries inside, or they simply remove the entire unit from its foundation plate and abscond with it.  This has become a real problem in suburban neighbourhoods, with some properties being targeted two or three times over the course of a month.

But, once again, being prepared is half the battle won.  It is recommended that a reliable theft-resistant cage from a reputable gate automation manufacturer, is fitted.  These theft-resistant cages fit snugly over installed gate motors and, when secured with a high-quality padlock, will go a long way towards minimising the likelihood of your operator being stolen or otherwise tampered with.

5. Be Well-informed

‘Education is the movement from darkness to light’, said Allan Bloom – and there are a number of things we can do to make that pivotal transition.  Joining a neighbourhood block watch, or simply keeping an eye on your local newspaper for current crime trends in your neighbourhood, will help you always be in the know when it comes to keeping criminals off your property.  The notion that crooks are always one step ahead is a pure fallacy and, with the right tools and know-how, you’ll always be firmly in the lead.

There are also more palpable means of being well-informed.  GSM devices such as the CENTURION G-SWITCH-22 can be configured to send a text message to your mobile phone whenever your infrared safety beams are interrupted, or even when your alarm is triggered at home.  This is intruder detection at its most intuitive.”

The foregoing was received from Centurion Systems. More info can be obtained from their website http://www.centsys.co.za/  or info@centsys.co.za  or directly from Charl.Mijnhardt@centurionsystems.co.za.

Stay safe