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JOHANNESBURG - July 08, 2010 – In an effort to combat crime, community patrols have mushroomed in South African “surburbia” and offer a security solution that protects residents from impending criminal activity.
To assist community patrols in this task, location intelligence, mobility and fleet management solutions provider, ST Group, approached its partner company Pitney Bowes Business Insight concerning the donation of location intelligence technology to the Lyttelton Crime Stop community policing forum in Gauteng. Pitney Bowes Business Insight immediately came on board and sponsored its MapInfo technology.
“In line with our corporate social investment strategy, ST Group is constantly looking at ways in which we can support and make a difference in the communities within which we operate. After reading about some of the horrific crimes, mainly affecting the elderly, in the Lyttleton area, we decided to assist the community policing forum in putting a stop to these criminal and violent acts,” says Evan Davies, a director at ST Group and the driving force behind this initiative.
The main objectives of the Lyttelton Crime Stop community policing forum are to regain control of the neighbourhood by creating a safe environment for residents and especially children, and to assist in cases of emergencies, be it to protect or assist in medical emergencies.
“The forum is made up of residents who patrol voluntarily, as well as security companies and the police force,” says the chairman of Lyttelton Crime Stop, Nowell Griffin. “Any resident within our boundaries is free to join. In fact, we encourage the involvement of all residents. The service is free and all we ask is that each household obtains its own radio.”
Voluntary activities include street patrols on a scheduled basis, response to calls for assistance via the radio or via telephone. “We are, however, committed to protecting all residents, irrespective of membership, hence we have an operational cell number which is manned 24x7, to enable members without radios to call for help when required,” says Griffin.
He adds that the use of MapInfo technology is a valuable contribution to the forum and that it will play a large role in reducing the crime in Lyttleton.
“It is much easier following movement graphically to find member contact details, than to search for the information on a list. MapInfo will, therefore, be utilised to plot the names and telephone numbers of all the residents who are members of Lyttelton Crime Stop. It will then be enabled to see which areas are well represented and where there is a shortage of members. We’ll also use it to plot incidents and apply it to obtain all the information needed so as to assist the team responding to an emergency call,” explains Griffin.
According to him, because MapInfo makes access to information quicker and provides the Lyttelton Crime Stop with “a bird’s eye view of the involvement of the community” it will in time also reveal crime hotspots.
“The elderly are of particular concern to the forum, hence the forum will set up the MapInfo technology to create a separate layer showing the premises where elderly people live,” says Davies. This “layer” makes it effortless for the team on patrol or reaction to pay special attention to the homes of the elderly.
“We appreciate the technology tremendously and hope that our area will soon be a no-go area for criminals,” concludes Griffin.
About ST Group
Founded in 1994, Spatial Technologies is above all a solutions company, focused on the delivery of location-based business intelligence value to clients. The company’s technology harnesses the power of location to deliver a competitive advantage to their clients in the shortest time and as cost-effectively as possible by using Pitney Bowes world-class software and technology.
Today Spatial Technologies is part of the expanded ST Group, which also comprises UConnect (focused on mobility solutions and resource management) and Connected World Solutions (development support and training).
ST Group strives to be the group of choice for providing location intelligence and mobility solutions across the enterprise. The group places a high value on developing long-term relationships with all stakeholders. Clients come from, among others, the banking, retail, logistics, finance and telecommunications sectors.
CONTACTS:
ST Group, Lisa de Kock, +27 11 314 0788, lisad@stgroup.co.za
icomm, Debbie Sielemann, +27 82 414 4633, debbie@pr.co.za
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