SAPS reservists disarmed! and in 14 days time will Permanent Force personnel have a problem as well?

From Eye Witness News: http://www.ewn.co.za/articleprog.aspx?id=16945
Tonight, the SAPS lack of effective planning and resourcing in the Western Cape effectively shot themselves in the foot – disarming up to 30% of their on the ground capacity.

Much has been made in the media of late regarding the implementation of the new firearms control act (FCA) what hasn’t been clarified – although often touched on – is the position this places the SAPS in in terms of having the largest volume of arms bearing officers second possibly to the SANDF. The new FCA requires that all persons carrying a firearm have completed and passed a competency test including examinations to a SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority) approved standard. This includes the SAPS.

Effectively, this means that during the past 4 years, the SAPS has had the opportunity to ensure that its manpower component have all passed the appropriate testing so that individual officers are carrying firearms within the scope of the law.

Today saw a mass disarming of the reservist component of SAPS in the Western Cape.
All reservists were told to stop their duties and hand in the firearms they had booked out as they had not completed the required testing – despite in most cases this testing (known as a Street Survival Course) not having been made available to them. Reservists (particularly over weekends) comprise up to 30% of the man hours of SAPS in the Western Cape.
These are trained volunteers who are in two categories – those who provide their time and dedication free of charge and those who are “called up” and provide 16 hours free service followed by up to 20 shifts for which they are paid a ridiculous wage of approximately R2500 a month (constables’ wages).
During the course of today, station commissioners notified reservists when booking on for duty or simply called them in off the road and disarmed them apologizing profusely and watched in some cases up to a third of their visible policing force book their weapons in and head home.
A clear order stands within SAPS that no member may work out on the road in uniform without a firearm – there would therefore be no point in them all cluttering up the charge offices. It remains to be seen how this idiotic turn of events will be unravelled or how it will be righted from the current situation.
Permanent Police Officers who have also not completed the Street Survival Course and Competency exam were being issued “temporary weapons permits valid for 14 days” en-masse to ensure that they comply with the new FCA until such time as they can attend the courses.

In the Western Cape, there are insufficient instructors for the Street Survival and competency program to suddenly churn out the masses of members that will need certification immediately. As usual nobody seemed to know who issued the instruction although it’s rumoured to have come from Provincial Commissioner Mzwandile Petros personally. The normal blaming-game is expected to play out over the next week as some form of interim measure and the usual “it was a misunderstanding…” is offered to those whose services have effectively been rejected. As I type this, I can hear the sirens outside and wonder to myself how many calls will go unanswered tonight, how many dangerous criminals will slip through the net because of a direct lack of manpower?

Exactly how many will of course be an unknown factor, but what I do know is that the Western Cape SAPS have effectively (yet again) slapped dedicated and hard working volunteers in the face through their inefficient administration. This is the same administration that some 4 months ago made province wide calls and ran public advertisements calling for new reservists to join up and serve their communities – then after receiving literally hundreds of applications (if not thousands) turned them away saying that there was no capacity available to train them. Something is drastically malfunctioning in the wheels of the SAPS in our province and the cost is being borne by the humble citizen sitting watching television or eating dinner right now, blissfully unaware that the thin blue line keeping crime at bay is becoming weaker and weaker on a daily basis… I cannot possibly wait to see the excuses they will find to justify a monumental mistake like this or the PR they will roll out in an attempt to gloss over the severity of it. All I know is that when I head to bed, I’ll keep the doors locked and will rely on myself to protect my family – because the thin blue line is just too weak for me to depend on tonight.

This article was originally published on page 1 of Pretoria News on July 06, 2009

Stop theft now! Register your cell phone for free and your laptop for R50 per year

Register your cell phone for free here: http://www.itcrimes.co.za/cellreg.htm
Register the rest of your household goods for free here: Tagga
Register your laptop for R50 per year: http://www.itcrimes.co.za
This web site collects all sorts of information from your laptop e.g. Mac address, HDD serial number, motherboard serial number, and more….

When stolen laptops are recovered, the hardware is scanned and matched with the database and returned to the rightful owners.
This initiative was founded with the aim of eliminating the theft of computer equipment throughout South Africa.

By partnering Government, South African Police Service, Insurance Companies, Second-hand Dealers and YOU the Taxpayer, ITCrimes have made it their mission to declare WAR on Computer/Laptop and Cellphone THEFT...

See here for more Tagga posts: http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/search?q=tagga

Tagga, click away crime is now free! TAGGA your goods and help kill the *illegal* second hand market!

It's official: Tagga is now free! No annual subscription fee. No catch - it's now a genuine community service with no fees to register nor search for stolen goods.

Do your bit to help kill the illegal second hand market and register now. If everyone registers and updates the system then it will be more difficult for the bastards to sell your stuff and profit from crime.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that you could also win R10,000 if you have that matching serial number: Click here to find out more: R10,000

From Tagga web site when registering:

"

TAGGA can be used FREE of charge. We are supported through various advertisers as well as the proceeds from our online shop.

So please support our sponsors and browse around our online shop.

Donations are also welcome.

Thank you for your support.

"

For more info see my previous blogs here:
http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2008/02/anti-theftanti-crime-web-site_05.html
http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2008/02/update-anti-theftanti-crime-web-site.html

Pre-Emptive Load Shedding Schedule for period 05 May to 31 May 2008 [Cape Town]

Remember to charge those torch batteries for Monday's new load shedding schedule, and remember load shedding creates a potential security concern.... so join your local neighborhood watch and get out there and patrol your area to ensure that the baddies don't win the war!

Here's the City of Cape Town's explanation of Pre-Emptive Load Shedding: Click here for the explanation.

Here's the Pre-emptive load shedding schedule [30Kb]: Pre-emptive_loadshedding_schedule.pdf
or in .xls format [71Kb]: Pre-emptive_loadshedding_schedule.xls

Yuk!!!!! I've just looked at my "schedule" and we'll be shed twice, at the worst possible times: 2x weekdays: 18h00 to 20h30... oh no! This is going to be hell - thanks a lot Hellskom!

For further information, please contact the City's Call Centre on 0800 220 440

Neighborhood watch goes hi-tech: WAP cell phone query for suspicious and stolen vehicles

Join your neighborhood watch and you too can assist by looking out for suspicious and stolen vehicles. The BKM watch (http://www.bkmwatch.org.za/) [Bergvliet, Kreupelbosch and Meadowridge] has just launched their latest high tech innovation: query their system using your cell phone while you're driving around, shopping, waiting for your wife/family, putting in petrol, etc. Access is via WAP over GPRS and is extremely cheap (cost <1c)

I've tried it and it works... After setting up my phone as described in a previous blog: (http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2008/03/in-this-day-and-age-im-amazed-by-low.html), you launch your phone's Internet browser, then log in using your pre-approved username, then enter any registration number... .the system then searches and return results.
The details returned include: details of crime (or when stolen) and who to contact to alert of the sighting.

See here for their user manual on how to use the system [40Kb]: http://www.bkmwatch.org.za/document.ashx?name=Suspicious_vehicles_via_your_cell_phone.doc

If you live in the area, then register here: http://www.bkmwatch.org.za/member_register.aspx (or email: crime@bkmwatch.org.za) else contact your neighborhood watch and help stop crime - it's time we all stood up against these *&@#-ing criminals!

Don't just say "it's fine, there are other people in the area doing their "watch" thing"! Get off your arse and do something!
If you can't patrol, then contribute financially and help cover the costs.

Come to think of it, the BKM watch web site is also a great example of using technology to fight crime.

They also use Google Earth as a tool to monitor incidents of crime and plot crime vs location to assist in crime fighting.
Criminals beware! The residents have awoken! Crime does not pay any more.

Oh, by the way, have you registered your valuables on Tagga yet - the R10,000 is still up for grabs! Don't be sorry later, do it now!

See here for more: http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2008/03/ok-ok-i-did-need-incentive-i-can-win.html

Pre-Emptive Load Shedding Schedule for period 31 March to 30 April 2008

Remember to charge those torch batteries for Monday's new load shedding schedule, and remember load shedding creates a potential security concern.... so join your local neighborhood watch and get out there and patrol your area to ensure that the baddies don't win the war!

Here's the City of Cape Town's explanation of Pre-Emptive Load Shedding: Click here for the explanation

Here's the Pre-emptive load shedding schedule [47KB]: Pre-emptive_loadshedding_schedule.pdf

:) Ok, Ok, I did need an incentive! I can win R10,000 if I just TAGGA my goods and help kill the *illegal* second hand market!

I've already registered and logged some of my stuff on the TAGGA - Searchable Stolen Goods Database.
I've been meaning to register the rest, tomorrow "I'm too busy today!" I hear myself saying to myself!
Well, tomorrow has arrived (and I need the bucks!) and I really do want to kill the *illegal* second hand goods market and by so-doing perhaps reduce (even if it's in a small way) the horrible, vicious and senseless violence that so often accompanies theft and robberies.

Win R10,000 cash at TAGGA: Register and enter the serial numbers of the items in your household (if you've had stuff stolen, then enter those serial numbers as well). The more serial numbers that you enter the better your chances of winning.
Be proactive and fight crime in a way never used before. Click away crime with TAGGA!

{see the TAGGA web site for rules etc.}


For more info see my previous blogs here:
http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2008/02/anti-theftanti-crime-web-site_05.html
http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2008/02/update-anti-theftanti-crime-web-site.html
http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2008/03/creator-of-tagga-will-be-on-tv-on.html

Beware... these criminals are phishing now! Never reveal your alarm codeword

Here's some advice from our neighborhood watch:

Beware of Telephone Scams/Cons - NEVER divulge alarm or personal details!
Following the reporting of various incidents listed below, note that you should never provide the password of your burglar alarm/armed response system to anyone over the telephone unless you are absolutely certain that your alarm has triggered and you are therefore expecting a call from the response control call centre. This caution should be made known to all family members and any others who have been provided with your password. If ever you are concerned that your password has been given to someone who should no longer be in possession of the information (example - former employee) then arrange to change the password immediately via the correct channels at your service provider. Never provide your ID number of other confidential details over the telephone to anyone.

Case 1 - This evening I received a telephone call from 'my alarm company' at 22:24 saying that my alarm had just gone off and asking for my codeword in order, I presume, to cancel armed response. I was suspicious as my alarm was not yet set, but the lady 'controller' confirmed that she had received an alarm notification and repeated that she wanted my codeword. I asked when the alarm had been triggered and she said right now at 10:24pm. I refused to provide my codeword as the circumstances did not appear to warrant it. She said Ok and hung up. I then checked with the Security control room to find out whether they had in fact called. The controller asked all her colleagues in the control room whether or not they had called me, either in my own right, or as keyholder for a neighbour. She confirmed that no one in the control room had initiated the call to me. This is worrying as it would indicate that persons unknown are trying to 'Phish' for the codewords of the unwary and as I have an unlisted number, this is particularly disconcerting. I can only imagine that knowledge of this information would allow these persons to break into one's house, set off the alarm, then provide the necessary codeword to prevent armed response from responding.

Case 2 - My daughter, 20 years old, was phoned by a lady stating that this was "a courtesy call from ?? Bank". The caller had my daughters details - initials, surname, address, but asked her for her ID number - which she very willingly gave. Fortunately she was not asked to give any of her banking/card details. I immediately contacted the Bank where she has her account who verified that to their knowledge my daughter had not been telephonically contacted. They also apparently do not ask for ID details over the phone. Who knows what implications this will have in the future. Someone now has my all my daughters details and ID number illegally obtained. Scary situation.