Fidelity ADT recently partnered with residents from the Berkshire Downs Active Residents (BDAR) association to make New Germany a safe place. Due to the increase in crime and as a result of falling victim to crime, New Germany resident Mervin Moodley decided to launch Active Residents of South Africa (Arosa), with the Berkshire Downs Active Residents (BDAR) being the first association formed as part of this group.

“We have been working closely with BDAR chairman, Mervin Moodley who has been instrumental in setting up the association. We believe in standing alongside our communities to support them in the fight against crime and feel honoured to have been approached by Mr. Moodley and his team,” says Fidelity ADT’s district manager for KwaZulu-Natal, Vaughan Pillay.

The initiative follows several incidents of crime within the New Germany area including an increase in house break-ins and hijackings.

BDAR recently partnered with local security companies and were supported by the South African Police Services (SAPS) and Metro police and hosted a crime awareness campaign. The aim was to address the high rate of crime by announcing the installation of community cameras currently being installed in Berkshire Downs. These cameras will be monitored via Fidelity ADT’s Community Control Room and Metro police.

Chairman Mervin Moodley said his aim is to spread this project into communities across South Africa.

“We believe the right partnerships between communities and ethical partners will result in safer communities. BDAR is the first community, the community I live in, that we have started this in. Our partnerships with security companies has resulted in visible patrols in Berkshire Downs being stepped up. We have also received support from the SAPS and Metro police and will be engaged in meetings going forward to work with them in addressing the festive period crime concerns,” he said.

The Community Control Room (CCR) is based at the Fidelity ADT offices in Pinetown and has served as a central communication platform for all crime concerns within the Durban area. The CCR is linked to several community crime WhatsApp groups, constantly sharing information to curb and address crime. The BDAR will form part of this network in the future with CCTV operators monitoring activity on a 24/7 basis.

“We are delighted with the progress shown by the CCR over the last few years with multiple community groups linking to our monitoring team. We are delighted that the BDAR is considering this for the future and look forward to our long-term partnership in the fight against crime,” Pillay concluded.