HPP Newsletter - June 2024
Supplementing Municipal Services for a Safe, Clean and Healthy HSRA
Dear Hermanus Special Rating Area (HSRA) Property Owner,
During June
- As part of the HSRA Term Extension project, an opinion survey was launched to determine property owners’ preferences and to motivate the extension of the HSRA’s term, to the Overstrand Municipality (OM). The results of the survey are available.
- HPP provided support to law enforcement and SAPS during two protest marches that took place in mid-June.
- HPP patrollers assisted in the apprehension and arrest of 13 suspects during the month, over double the average amount of monthly arrests.
HSRA Opinion Survey Results
As reported previously, the HSRA has a mandated life of five years that ends in June 2025. At HPP’s Annual General Meeting, held on 28 September last year, the HPP Board was authorised to seek an extension of the HSRA’s term for a further five-year period.
An online survey was conducted between 30 April and 31 May 2024, with the aim to gauge property owner and community support for the extension of the HSRA, as well as to gather feedback on HPP’s current operations. The 12-minute survey was promoted via the monthly newsletter, emails as well as the HPP and community WhatsApp groups. Articles were also published in the Village News and Hermanus Times.
A total of 375 respondents participated in the survey. Of this, 352 respondents were property owners.
Just over 6.2% of property owners in the HSRA responded to the survey. It must be noted that no exact threshold requirement was expressed by the OM on the required number of responses.
The results of the survey are:
90.57% of respondents indicated support (either strongly or somewhat) for extending the HSRA for another five years.
Two respondents did not support the term extension
The following areas were ranked by respondents to devote resources to:
Public safety in open public spaces
Cleanliness and attractiveness of the Hermanus Environment
Vagrancy and homelessness
Emergency preparedness and disaster recovery
Environmental Conservation
Elderly support
Youth engagement
81% of the respondents were satisfied with the performance of the HSRA and HPP.
90% of respondents believe that the HSRA plays an important role in crime prevention, with 90.26% acknowledging its significant impact.
84.77% of respondents were either extremely or very confident in the governance and management capabilities of the HPP.
85.15% rated the value for money received through the services provided as very to extremely valuable.
The last question in the survey invited respondents to nominate additional services which should be provided by the HSRA. A relatively low percentage of responses (at or below 5% ) voiced the request for the HSRA to take on the following services: baboon management, parking management in the CBD, and for the HSRA to increase its boundaries to include the Fernkloof Nature Reserve.
In addition to the survey results, a summary of the capabilities built up within HPP over the last four years, will be included in the motivation to the Overstrand Municipality.
Summary of HPP’s capabilities and services
These include:
- Patrols by foot, bicycle and vehicle are conducted in the HSRA area. The vehicles patrol 24-by-7. Foot patrol officers are used primarily in the CBD night and day, and on the Cliff Path which stretches from the New Harbour to Grotto Beach. Bicycle patrols are used on waste collection days across the HSRA. Additional patrols (foot, bicycle, and vehicle) are allocated to areas where an increase in burglaries is reported and where counter measures are undertaken in collaboration with SAPS and OM Law Enforcement.
- The activities of patrollers are monitored by the control centre through GPS tracking.
- Seventy-four CCTV camera sites monitor activity in the HSRA.
- Due to storm damage, extensive CCTV camera replacement and infrastructure repairs were done in the current financial year.
- The CCTV cameras and telephone calls for assistance are monitored in the Control Room which is manned by Controllers and managed by a Surveillance and Field Supervisor, 24/7.
- Up-to-date analytical software is used to ensure that information gathered from the surveillance cameras is translated into intelligence and crime prevention activities.
- A Safety Kiosk has been placed to good effect at Swallow Park
- Cleaning and clearing services cover the Cliff Path, namely Roman Rock to the Marine Hotel; Gearings Point to the New Harbour; Grotto East to Kraal Rock, as well as Hoy’s Koppie and Bekker’s Park.
- Litter collection and cleaning services have been increased to 6 days a week, together with a dog waste picker on the Cliff Path, three days a week.
- Litter collection is done on Public Holidays.
- HPP works with local organisation which educate youth to care for the environment.
Extracts of HPP’s Daily Operational Reports
I received feedback that the extracts from HPP’s Daily Operational Reports, as reported in last month’s newsletter, provided good insight into some of our daily activities.
The following was reported on a regular basis in the past month:
“Suspicious people were spotted and monitored out of the area.”
“Illegal car guards and beggars were monitored out of the area.”
“Fights in public areas were reported and brought to an end.”
“Individuals consuming alcohol in public were intercepted and monitored out of the area”
“People trading illegally were reported to and fined by OM Law Enforcement after being informed that they had to obtain permits from the municipality.”
“Open gates and doors were reported to homeowners.”
“Blocked drains were reported to the municipality.”
“A person collapsed in the CBD and HPP called for an ambulance.”
The following more unique incidents were reported in the past month:
“A missing person was reported to HPP, after which a Public Safety Officer found the person sitting on a bench on the Cliff Path. SAPS and the family members were informed, and the person was taken home.”
“Two fights were reported over the weekend. Upon investigation it was found that a person had been stabbed and another was subsequently arrested.”
“Two fires were spotted above Mountain Drive and upon investigation it was found that they were caused by vagrants.”
“SAPS requested assistance with a young boy who had disappeared and was suspected of drowning near the New Harbour.”
“Two suspects were spotted carrying tins of paint and SAPS was dispatched, after which one person was arrested for being in possession of stolen goods and the other for carrying a dangerous weapon.”
“A domestic worker was attacked in the street in Hermanus Heights. The HPP patrol vehicle responded, and SAPS subsequently arrested the suspect.”
“A patrolling Public Safety Officer detected smoke coming from apartments above the OK MiniMark in Voëlklip, the Fire Department was alerted, and the fire was quickly bought under control.”
As always, HPP urges you to remain vigilant and to be safe.
Jerry van Niekerk
HPP Chair
E-Mail: chairperson@hpp.org.za
Website: https://hpp.org.za