River Rat Posted August 31, 2015 Author Posted August 31, 2015 Klapperkop Safety Update The meeting of 27th August 2015 was well attended and I must say proved to be very significant. As you may recall there were questions raised as to what the correct structure would be to drive the safety initiative in the Fort Klapperkop reserve. It was amazing to see how quickly this was resolved and it was decided that Friends of Groenkloof Nature Reserve ( FGNR )would drive this initiative with the assistance of Brooklyn Sector 4 Community Policing Forum. Although the reserve falls under the Groenkloof Community Policing forum they acknowledge that it is totally impractical for them to respond to incidents in the reserve and that Sector 4 was better placed to do so. You might be wondering why FGNR are so important for this initiative to succeed, well first off Klapperkop would be a wattle infested cesspool were it not for the efforts of FGNR who fenced the area, had the wattle removed, assisted with the introduction of game and the building of MTB trails. Secondly they are a Not for Profit organisation that has proven capabilities in not only raising funds but making sure that they are put to work. This is an effective organisation that is determined to ensure that their investment in Klapperkop has the desired outcome in terms of unfettered patronage for not only the residents of Pretoria but also for out of town visitors that want to enjoy this gem. What makes the Sector 4 CPF important is that they are one of the more effective CPF’s in the area with a very strong relationship with Hi Risk Security, a leading security company in the area. Hi Risk were extremely forthcoming in their willingness to be involved in securing the safe use of the reserve and I have personally witnessed them not only assisting the CPF but sometimes leading the raids in Klapperkop. Making personnel and materiel available free of charge to assist the community they serve. Hi Risk gave us a run down of the situation on the ground and I was surprised to learn that about 95% of the current attacks are committed against sightseers and not Cyclists or Runners and these attacks are now occurring mostly after dark. Although heartening to hear I was still not totally convinced that we are safe. I must admit my mind changed after I heard about the four initiatives agreed upon. The first initiative is signage that would provide users with an emergency number to call if they encounter any suspicious behaviour. This number would be monitored by the CPF with H Risk responding in the case of an emergency. The Second initiative would be visible patrols and this is great news if you’re a runner, cyclist or hiker in that you can expect to see Hi Risk vehicles patrolling the reserve every morning between 6:30 and 8:00 and between 16:30 and 18:00 (or dark) in the afternoons. The CPF will also be providing radios to cyclists that are willing to patrol the area, these radios will be in direct contact with the CPF and the Hi Risk control room. If you want to cycle outside these times it would be sensible to join the cycle & run whatsapp group (0721362911) and try to ride or run at the same time as other are, this is proving to be quite effective. However, do not use Klapperkop after dark it is simply not safe and very difficult to secure at night. Recent daytime raids have not found any unwanted guests so it would appear that these criminals are infiltrating Klapperkop after sunset under the cloak of darkness. The third initiative is to put up CCTV cameras at Viewpoint 1 and the Radio tower viewpoint notwithstanding the fact that efficacy of these cameras are being questioned it is felt that their presence will act as a deterrent even if it is to discourage some patrons carnal activities. Underpinning all of these initiatives is the obviously a funding requirement which constitutes the fourth initiative. Raising funds means that the community needs to be kept up to date on all things relating to what’s happening at Klapperkop so you can add communication to this initiative. After attending the meeting I really feel that we as users of the reserve need to do what we can to support these guys and I urge you to make a contribution however small to the following bank account marked Klapperkop Safety so that they know what your intended use for the funds are:Bank account name: Friends of Groenkloof Nature ReserveAccount no: 620 4620 4830 First National Bank Brooklyn Branch no 251345.If you’re like me and want to make sure that things are legit feel free to check out FGNR’s credentials as a Public Benefit Organisation and visit their website http://naturefriends.org.za/groenkloof/index.htm you’ll find the bank account details under the membership application as well as the rules around the donation tax exemption.One last thing, if you drive to Klapperkop to run or cycle it is recommended that you do not park within the reserve but rather park on the pavement between Radcliff Estate and the gate to Military intelligence . I get the feeling that parking might become another initiative.Klapperkop has just got a whole lot safer!
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