A local community initiative is turning crime on its head by introducing a wide ranging area security upliftment project to combat crime on the streets of South Africa!
Car Guards are not a new concept in South Africa but a recently developed campaign in the north of Joburg is taking the same idea and making it both lucrative to the guards protecting South Africans and safer for South Africans in their cars!
Hot 91.9FM, in proud partnership with Future City Fourways, as part of the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) Traffic Warden Programme working with the South African Police Service, are helping to take back the streets of Johannesburg North, one intersection at a time!
The Hot Squad project was launched in September and consists of a team of expertly trained, dedicated and vigilant cadets awaiting their peace officer training. The team are currently stationed at major intersections in Fourways, starting at Fourways Crossing to the highway on William Nicol Drive and Cedar and Witkoppen and Witkoppen and Main Roads but the project has been such an incredible success that it might even be rolled out on more Johannesburg roads!
Jean Berdou, Chair of Future City Fourways, says, “We are thrilled to have Hot 91.9FM as our partner in this initiative. This is the start of a long term relationship where we take back one intersection at a time in the Johannesburg area. Hot 91.9FM is a much-loved, well-known community driven station and our partnership with them will certainly ensure that listeners are guided through the traffic with up-to-date traffic reports and the Hot Squad there keeping a lookout.”
Berdou adds: “This project is about so much more than just alleviating traffic and reporting crime incidents. It is also making a worthy contribution towards job creation for people from underprivileged communities.”
The project was created by the Fourways community after a crime wave hit the area with various hijackings, smash and grabs and small robberies and the concept has grown from a simple idea to something that could benefit all areas.
The concept is simple but so clever… the intersections and roadways have received dedicated surveillance patrols and rapid response security, who are tasked to look after road users and keep the intersections free of criminals!
Lloyd Madurai, Managing Director of Hot 91.9FM says, “We are extremely proud to have partnered with Future City Fourways on the Hot Squad Initiative. Our collective focus is to help keep you, the citizens, safe, 12 hours a day, five days a week.
It’s part of Hot 91.9’s commitment to the community that we serve, continuing to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those around us.”
The Hot Squad will be at major intersections in Fourways from 06h00 to 18h00 weekdays. For more information, please go to www.hot919.co.za.