PROJECT PENDINGuntil we have a lot more residents "buy in"
GCF has only been running for over 3 years now and what we have achieved and what we are currently doing is not enough for the community. We need a central location where residents can visit, can be counselled, can report incidents and basically, where we the committee can be more visible.
SCOPE AND VALUES
The Joint Operations Centres (JOC) primary responsibility is to be a CRIME PREVENTION CENTRE which includes providing command control and communication capabilities to residents and to the SAPS and or response units. It is envisaged that the JOC personnel will work within a highly demanding environment, providing critical communications and administrative services, and will work in direct coordination with SAPS in order to provide a complete operational picture of the Area of Operations.
The JOC will be the base to launch community projects. This includes the current recycling project we are busy with, with Pik-it-up as well as envisaged domestic training with security companies and SAPS.
The JOC which will initially be manned by resident volunteers. Their responsibilities will be to alert task and response teams who are supported by the SAPS to investigate suspicious activities in our area. Once resources allow it, we will employ permanent personnel to man the JOC
The establishment and operational effectiveness of the JOC will require the assistance of all members in the community, therefore we are using this as a platform to let the residents of Glenvista and surrounding areas know that we are serious about TAKING BACK OUR STREETS.
We will also be talking to SAPS about having a permanent police officer on duty.
PARTNERSHIPS
We disagree punting one security company for the area. Security companies are profit driven and their motives don't always co-incide with our interests. Our JOC security model is modelled on the most successful community policing forum in the country which has high levels of community buy in but also buy in from all the security companies. We do not support the camera offering by some companies and see it as a just a tactic to sign up as many houses as they can, at a profit. Camera's have a role to play in security models but it cannot replace community patrols which are the most effective deterrent. There is also no reason why cameras must be linked to contracts for armed reaction with a specific company. Part of our vision is that the JOC will in future install, operate and monitor its own camera's at various hot spots.
The moment a forum punts one security company over another you lose the support of the others and are perceived as competition. We prefer to have participation from all security companies and draw on all their resources in the event of an emergency. Failing this one security company will run into capacity problems. All security companies have a role to play. Some will contribute more than others depending on their resources and will, but together we believe they can achieve more than one company. Our role is to foster co-operation between all role players.
Some forums have a different view and we respect their decision but we are committed to our model.
RESPONSIBILITIES
· The JOC management must be capable of working and supervising personnel within a highly demanding work environment while providing critical communications services to the residents and SAPS and or response units.
· Staff will utilize the technology provided to provide situational awareness and track all critical incidents.
· Provide desktop support and administration where required.
· Administer computer peripheral devices. Ie Camera monitoring equipment
· Establish and troubleshoot server accounts, and connectivity with remote sites from the client workstation
· Operate, maintain, and troubleshoot camera monitoring and radio system
· Track and maintain a Remedy-based trouble ticket system
· Maintain standard operating procedures for continuity throughout the JOC work environment
· Other duties as assigned
DESIRED SKILLS (STAFF)
· Possess a high level of diplomacy.
· Demonstrated self-starter and demonstrated ability to independently resolve problems
· Ability to perform effectively in a fast-paced environment with short timelines
· Ability to maintain a professional and courteous manner in difficult situations
· Ability to maintain high quality work to manage multiple critical projects
· Ability to perform and participate in a team-oriented environment
· Excellent customer service skills and demeanour
· Computer literate
BENEFITS
· Community involvement
· Sharing of communication/information
· Creating awareness
· Info gathering and Statistics
· Counselling
· Quicker reaction service quicker communication
· Coordination of security
· Security resources
· Education of criminal activity and preventative strategies
· Relationship building
· Meeting place for the community
· Getting the police security and community working together
· Community pride and confidence
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Land and building
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Operating times
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Premises ERF 79 Glenvista – Scout Hall
This is presently the delay
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Initially during peak hours with the intent of being open 24/7
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THE FINANCIAL PLAN
The success of the JOC is entirely in the hands of the residents themselves. We therefore have to encourage as many residents as possible to join.
As such the JOC will be funded by contributions from residents as well as special fundraising efforts by the GCF Management Committee.
Whilst the GCF has only been running for just over a year, our main priority was to get as many residents as we could to join our forum, not too much focus has been placed up to now on getting residents to contribute financially as these contributions were only required to cover the cost of submitting SMS’s and emails.
We recognise the fact that it takes time to obtain resident confidence in what we are doing. We are feeling the legacy of a previous exclusive security committee who took residents monies and did nothing with it for almost eight years. Nor did they even communicate with the residents as to what their plans were.
We are constantly fielding questions from residents over this and we believe that the JOC presence, will secure resident confidence in us.
Naturally with the running of a JOC we are going to require either more residents, or we will have no choice but to request the residents who are paying, to contribute more.
Our whole aim is to partner technology companies to develop, test and deploy technologies that will assist in protecting our environment and its residents from criminal actions or threat, or from circumstances that make us vulnerable to threat.
With this in mind it should be noted that we are presently exploring avenues where we can obtain cameras and camera monitoring equipment. With technology going where it’s going and the greater and quicker availability of bandwidth, it is becoming more and more possible for companies to go wireless and to be able to expand their capabilities. That way we are not limited either. This will be tackled more in our technological brief, not covered nor costed under this document.
CONCLUSION
The GCF is confident that it will be able to successfully operate the JOC and that the JOC itself would contribute towards mobilising the community towards greater crime prevention and vigilance.