Frequently Asked Questions

We concentrate our area of regular patrolling and Armed Response to Sunset Beach, Milnerton Ridge, Milnerton Central, Royal Ascot, Woodbridge Island, Montague Gardens, Tijgerhof, Summer Greens, Phoenix, Rugby, Brooklyn and parts of Paarden Eiland.

The area we cover is all within 6 kilometres of our base and we have 6 cars permanently patrolling around our suburbs, so we are never far from a potential activation. Our 6th car carries out special operations and observations, supporting the other vehicles when required. Our fleet of vehicles is growing further as we provide more dedicated vehicles to particular suburbs. In the near future all vehicles will also be equipped with CCTV cameras, capable of reporting live back to our Control Room.

No company can guarantee a response time, but because we are constantly patrolling in our cars locally, we are never very far from an activation. This makes our response times generally faster than other companies who do not constantly patrol and are only responding from their base, which is often considerably further away.

A Reaction officer has the same legal rights as an ordinary citizen. They are however well versed in the Criminal procedures Act and know when and where they can exercise their rights.

We strongly discourage this practice. A panic signal is the highest priority signal and should only be activated in an extreme emergency. One of the biggest problems facing the Armed Response industry is false alarms. In fact the majority of call outs we attend to are false alarms – this impacts dramatically on our ability to attend to real emergencies.

We offer unique “Gate Receiver” systems or key-safes that allow us access to your property. These are widely used within the industry and in complexes. Please speak to our Sales Department for more information regarding the cost of these.

Yes we do. This is a service that we offer our clients. Our Armed Reaction Officer will meet you at your gate and ensure you are safe. Please understand that alarm activations take priority and we request about a half hour notification.

This service is for free to our clients.

Our vehicles do patrol all the time, unless they are either carrying out special operations or maybe observing particular behaviour- very often in conjunction with our CCTV cameras. The Armed Reaction officer may also be on a rest break for a specific period of time which they are required to take within their shift. We encourage them to take breaks within the area they are patrolling, to maintain a presence, rather than return to the Control Room.

Yes, we work and have clients in conjunction with ADT, Chubb, MCW, HP Securities, District Watch, Star Alarms, Vizual Security and BCS Security. This in effect means that we sometimes monitor alarms for them and they do the Armed response for us and equally the other way round, dependent on the location of the client.

Yes, we have a number of developing client partnerships with SIS. We are developing a number of static guarding projects together and we carry out all the Armed Response work for them and their clients in Montague Gardens, for which they do the monitoring. SIS also carry out the Alarm monitoring work for MCWT (Milnerton Crime Watch Trust) who do not currently have their own Control Room.

• It is unfortunate that we both have the word Crime Watch within our names, but that has been the case since February 2010.
• Both companies were closely affiliated originally and were formed out of Neighbour Watches. (Crime Watch SA out of Sunset Beach Neighbourhood Watch & Milnerton Ridge Neighbourhood Watch).
• Milnerton Crime Watch Trust, was formed much earlier, with Craig Pedersen helping originally in the development and establishment of Crime Watch SA
• There are many companies with the name Crime Watch within them.

The current area is defined on the Milnerton Crime Watch Trust website as being between Koeberg Rd to the sea and between Racecourse and Boundary Road in Milnerton.

Crime Watch SA covers: Sunset Beach, Milnerton Ridge, Milnerton Central, Royal Ascot, Woodbridge Island, Montague Gardens, Tijgerhof, Summer Greens, Phoenix, Rugby, Brooklyn and parts of Paarden Eiland

There are a number of differences highlighted below quite apart from the area’s that they cover.
It should be noted that both companies, unlike most Armed Response companies, patrol their areas constantly, rather than just respond to an alarm activation. This is born out of their origination as Neighbourhood Watches.

Crime Watch SA

1. Full PSIRA*/ SAIDSA** (Industry Regulatory Authorities) compliant Control Room, where we monitor our clients’ alarms, 412 CCTV cameras that cover certain areas of our suburbs, and from where we dispatch our Armed Reaction Officers from.
2. All Officers are Armed at all times.
3. Install alarms and CCTV systems for both residential and commercial
4. Fully equipped and registered Armed Response Company
5. Operate 6 response vehicles currently (Blue & White) as well as 4 technical vehicles
6. Private company
7. Located in Koeberg Rd (opposite Steve Auto clinic), and very close to Milnerton Crime Watch Trust

PSIRA* – Private Security Industry Authority
SAIDSA** – South African Intruder Detection

Milnerton Crime Watch Trust

1. Do not have a Control Room with which to monitor alarms. They use the services of third parties for example SIS
2. Officers are trained as Armed Reaction Officers, but do not currently carry weapons
3. They do not install either CCTV or Alarm systems
4. They have 2 vehicles currently (Black & Yellow) that cover Milnerton Central
5. They are a community based Trust and a non-profit organisation

If you are tied up with a financial agreement with your current service provider, then you will probably have to run the course of the agreed term before you will be able to join us, but you should discuss it with them and check the legality of any small print.
If you are not tied into any financial agreement, but the conditions in your current contract state anything longer than 21 working days, it is probably a condition that cannot be legally upheld. As a service contract 21 working days is the minimum legal notice that you have to provide. Legal advice should always be sought.

If you would like to purchase your alarm system over a period of years, rather than invest a significant amount of capital purchasing one outright, please contact our sales team who can arrange that and it has tax advantages particularly for businesses.
We made a decision to enter a partnership with a well-known financial institution that would fund the purchase for you. This enables you to be free of a long term contract with us, as the financial aspect is independent and you would only be required to give 1 calender months’ notice to us if you wish to terminate our services – we would rather you want to be with us than have to be with us due to contractual obligation.
If you have a question that is not covered in the sections above, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be pleased to answer your question.

Please contact our sales team who are all trained in the use of alarm equipment and have many years of experience within the industry. They will come and give you a FREE assessment of your individual alarm needs, whether you join us as a client or not.
They will discuss the following with you

• Your individual circumstances -e.g. any potential weak points
• The size of the alarm system required – is expansion at a later date likely
• What type of protection is it that you require
• Internal & Exterior protection
• Your pets needs and habits
• How many users of the system will there be are there any different access levels required
• Do you require a purchase agreement based over a three year period

There are many different types of alarm panels, sensors, detectors and beams on the market. Their individual ability, reliability, price and performance varies greatly and it is vital that you obtain advice on the following:

• The right product for the right environment
• The correct placement of detectors or beans
• The best advise to secure your premises and in compliance to SAIDSA standards.

Our Technicians and Sales Executives are well trained in this equipment and attend regular courses. They are aware of the most reliable equipment on the market, and will match that to your requirements. You will always beat us on price if you decide to install inferior equipment that is not recommended by SAIDSA.

Your system is only internally operational and your keypad will alert you, either by a beeping sound or a service/trouble light notifying you of the communication error that occurred.

If the line is down for 7 days, our software will generate a signal to our Control Room to advise that we have not received any signal from your alarm system. This is called FTT(Fail To Test) and our system will generate an email to you on the Monday following the FTT occurrence.
NB: It is important to ensure that all relevant contact details, including your emails, is updated in writing.
That is why we prefer to also install Radio Transmitters (VHF/GSM) or IP Modules which send an instant signal on alarm activation.

If you have a prepaid account and you run out of airtime then the alarm will not be able to send a signal to our Control Room. If your prepaid has a passcode (pin), you will need to hand it to the technician, on link up or installation, so that they can enter it into the control panel and programme it to dial our Control Room.

NB: It is important to ensure that all relevant contact details, including your emails, is updated in writing.

1. Check the transformer is plugged in and switched on.
2. If these are connected correctly and the problem is not solved, please contact Crimewatch for assistance.

Yes.  Your system has its own backup battery, capable of sustaining your alarm system for several hours, provided you have maintained your battery.

We do not recommend you do this, as if you do not do it correctly, you may cause:

1. Damage to the alarm system
2. This could result in a fire
3. The battery could explode in your face if not connected properly

Rather contact our technical Department.

The simplest way of doing this is as follows:

• Call the Control Room and advise them that you are putting your system on test (If you do not make them aware they will assume it is a positive break in and despatch an Armed Response officer unnecessarily).
• The Control Room will then send all the signals to the designated cell phone so that you can easily see which zones you will trigger. It is your responsibility to ensure that we have your correct cell phone number.
• Set your alarm system as if you were leaving the property but remain inside.
• Once the system is armed, walk around the property into each area and trigger all the magnetic contact and passives infrareds and panic buttons (fixed and remote panics).
• Then go outside and trigger all external beams.
• Once you have activated all the zones, check the keypad to see if all the zones are shown.
• Disarm the alarm.
• If you detect a problem with the zone that you activated and is not shown on the keypad or has not come through to your cell phone, contact Crimewatch for technical assistance.

As your security provider we need to draw to your attention the importance of having your panel serviced on a regular basis. The industry recommendation is to have your alarm serviced a minimum of once per year. (Whether by us or another qualified service provider). Your safety and your property is our primary concern.
If you are experiencing any of the following issues, they are a fair indication that your system requires a service.

• You have had to bypass a zone
• Sending false alarm signals
• Alarm sending Fail to Test signals
• Lights flickering on the panel – LED’s not visible any more
• Alarm not sending any signals
• Alarm sending low battery or sensor issues
• Broken cables – rodent damage etc

The Service should include the following

• Full System Check – Arming of all Zones
• Confirmation that all detection equipment is functioning correctly.
• Alarm Panel, Beams, PIR’s, Magnets,
• Battery Voltage Test, cables & connections
• Transformer Voltage Test, cables & connections
• Signal test to and from Crime Watch
• There are “NO GAPS” in your alarm security provision
• The correct Product has been used for the application, and protects the intended area.
• Refresher training in use of your Alarm system.
• Recommended Improvements to your system. (if any are needed)

NB – If you are not using a Crime Watch (SAIDSA qualified) technician, please ensure that the technician you use is qualified and issues you with an appropriate certificate which confirms the work he has done and that all zones have been tested accordingly.
In most panels this can be proved by downloading the alarm history. Obviously as you are using your own technician they will not be able to confirm these with the Control Room and will automatically terminate any warranties or responsibility that Crime Watch may have on your system.

Refer to the the technical section where you can find a PDF version of your alarm panel to assist you. If you require further assistance, please contact Crimewatch.

This is the keypad’s way of telling you that there is a condition present affecting one or more of the security devices and the system is not ready to be turned on. It will require that you correct the condition before the keypad will allow you to arm or turn on the system. The most likely problem would be doors/windows that have magnetic contacts and we would suggest you check these first.
NB. When a window or door is left open with a passive infrared in the same room, the detector will pick up a cold draft that will be seen as a movement.
Refer to the technical section where you can find a PDF version of your alarm panel to assist you. If you require further assistance, please contact Crimewatch.

• Check that you have the correct code.
• If you enter the same incorrect code 5 times, it will put your keypad into lockout mode and you have to wait 15 minutes before the keypad is re-activated.
• If you still cannot activate your alarm system, contact Crimewatch who may be able to assist you telephonically.

It is the most awarded alarm system in the world. (Crime Watch technicians are fully qualified installers of this prestigious system).The main feature being that the PIR motion sensors have built in cameras. Once the sensor gets triggered, special software within our control room gets sent a ten second clip of the area the sensor covers. This allows us to immediately see whether it is a false alarm or if there is an intruder and respond accordingly. This works especially well in commercial properties as in a lot of places reaction officers cannot see inside the premises. Thereby only contacting the owner to open up when really necessary and not for every false alarm that may occur during the night. Also by being a completely wireless system running on batteries allows you the versatility to move the sensors around to any location as needed. For instance on a construction site to protect equipment.

See Videofied in Action >>

Yes, we have two options to choose from:

OPTION 1
SMS OPENINGS & CLOSINGS
An automated SMS will be sent to the primary cell phone number, plus a second cell phone number if required, for all openings and closings. For any additional cell phone numbers, an extra charge will be levied.

OPTION 2
SMS OPENINGS & CLOSINGS & ALL ALARM SIGNALS
An automated SMS will be sent to the primary cell phone number, plus a second cell phone number if required, for all opening, closing and alarm signals. For any additional cell phone numbers, an extra charge will be levied.

SUPERVISED OPENINGS & CLOSINGS (telephonic)

This is where the Control Room will monitor the designated times that you have specified for your alarm system to be turned on or deactivated (Opening or Closings) and will contact you if times deviate.

• Illegal opening (outside the designated opening time):
  1. The Control Room will call the premises number and/or primary cellphone contact
  2. In the event of a ‘no reply’ – Armed Response will be dispatched
• Fail to close: (outside the designated closing time)
  1. The Control Room will call the premises number and/or primary cellphone contact
  2. In the event of a ‘no reply’ – Armed Response will be dispatched

Most AC fails in residential property are caused by people forgetting to top up their electricity meters, but Control are not aware of that, and will dispatch an Armed Response Officer immediately and then try and contact you the client to establish what has caused the AC fail.

In commercial properties, “AC fails” rarely occur because the meter has not been topped up, and are more likely to be an indication of other activity.

During load shedding you will appreciate that we can receive hundreds of signals all at the same time. The Control Room are unable to respond to all clients and will not contact you, the signal will be logged away as “load shedding” in the area.
Control will however be monitoring for any additional signals that come through from any property following the AC fail, and an Armed Response Officer will be dispatched to your property immediately, should we receive any additional signals. Control will try to contact you on both in the meantime.

Read More about Loadshedding’s effect on Battery and Alarm systems

Yes, all of this is possible with the installation of an application and with an internet connection and will be discussed with you by our CCTV Manager

The newer CCTV system does not need the alarm system to send notifications, the new Cameras has line detection, intrusion detection etc, that will send you a notification to your app, pc, tablet. (Control Room, Black Screen Monitoring)

Yes, If you would like to purchase your CCTV system over a period of years, rather than invest a significant amount of capital purchasing one outright, please contact our sales team who can arrange that and it has tax advantages particularly for businesses.
We made a decision to enter a partnership with a well-known financial institution that would fund the purchase for you. This enables you to be free of a long term contract with us, as the financial aspect is independent and you would only be required to give 21 days’ notice to us if you wish to terminate our services – we would rather you want to be with us than have to be with us due to contractual obligation.

Video footage and images when backed up are date and time stamped and cannot be altered. This will enable them to be used as evidence in court. More importantly the Crime Watch CCTV surveillance network may also have evidence of a perpetrator making their way to or from your property, which will corroborate with your own evidence of them being on site, further strengthening the case for a successful prosecution.

Unfortunately in this day and age we require as many layers as possible to make ourselves and our properties secure and cannot simply rely on one thing. CCTV acts as an excellent deterrent especially if would be criminals are aware that it is being monitored. Most criminals cover their faces to avoid the cameras, but that does not stop them being linked to the crime itself. In a monitored situation we are alerted to the movement of people and if suspicious our control room will deploy Armed Reaction Officers accordingly to intercept.

We will not disclose the locations of our camera network, but essentially it is growing (currently 412 monitored cameras 24 hrs hours a day 365 days a year at our central Control Room) that covers all the main suburbs in which we supply Armed Response services. These are Sunset Beach, Milnerton Ridge, Royal Ascot, Montague Gardens, Milnerton Central, Tijgerhof. Most Armed Response Companies do not invest in this type of infrastructure in the protection of their neighbourhoods. The network includes LPR (License Plate Recognition) cameras and thermal cameras with which to track the movement of people at night through the vlei for example.

CCTV evidence is only available free of charge to those people who pay contributions towards the Crime Watch CCTV project, or whom have funded their own camera and added it to the network. General Principals are:

• A contributor to the project can get any CCTV evidence that we may have free of charge and we will assist in the time taken to search our extensive databases for it
• A group or street that have funded their own camera added to the network, can obtain evidence from that Camera free of charge. If required from another camera within the network a charge will be levied as below
• If you are not entitled to free CCTV evidence as above, the charges are as follows.
  - R1,500.00 contribution to the camera project. This will need to be paid before we will search for the evidence you require. The money is used to further develop the network and maintain it.
  - R420.00 (ex VAT) will be charged per hour for the Control Room to search the network for the evidence you require.
• NB If having completed the search the evidence is not there, the charges above still apply’
• NB If the CCTV operator is required to attend court to give evidence in support of how the evidence was obtained and the system, which will be charged at R420 (ex VAT per hour).

This whole network of 412 cameras currently has been developed from Crime Watch reinvesting its profits into developing the network, private contributors whom are dedicated to improving the safety of our communities, residential groups, Neighbourhood Watch group contributions and in particular Estate Agents such as Rawsons & Leapfrog who contribute significant sums each time they sell a property in particular suburbs. The system has really developed from the generosity of those heighted above, from which the whole community benefits and is one of the reasons why the crime in some of our suburbs in particular is so low.
If you would like to contribute towards further development of the project, please contact our sales team who will happily talk you through the scheme. On behalf of Crime Watch and the community we thank you.

Please contact our CCTV Manager, who will gladly come and discuss the whole process with you as we have done it numerous times in many different communities and locations – each with their own challenges.
Once you have defined the scope of property and the road that needs to be covered and agreed the location of the camera (must be on private property), then the CCTV Manager will give you a detailed break-down of the costs involved. This will include the links required in order to get the images transmitted back to our Control Room. These links are very often up to 40% of the installation depending on distance and the number of links required.
The CCTV Manager will happily attend any meeting with a residential group to go through the project and answer any questions in relation to the installation, the monitoring itself and Crime Watch policies. Once agreed and the funds are raised, installation will generally take place within two weeks (weather dependant)
NB. Please note that we will only install and monitor quality brands of cameras that have a minimum of a three year warranty (swap out policy) and are designed for our harsh environment in close proximity to the sea.

This is common practice and if the cameras are being monitored in the Control Room, our CCTV installations Manager will discuss with you which views you do not want the Control Room to see.
These views are ‘masked’ out at source within the program and cannot be altered by anyone in the Control Room and are therefore your privacy in that regard is totally protected. The CCTV Manager will send you proof of what has been ‘masked’ for your approval and amendments can be made until you are satisfied

Quite often a group of residents in a street, road, close for example, will get together to fund a camera that covers their properties and in particular the street. More often than not these are PTZ cameras (Pan Tilt & Zoom) that can over the whole area.
There are some people’s who’s views (and are totally respected) are that CCTV cameras are an invasion of privacy and absolutely do not want any part of their property covered by any camera. This is no problem at all.
These views (the entire property if necessary) are ‘masked’ out at source within the program and cannot be altered by anyone in the Control Room and are therefore that individual’s privacy in that regard is totally protected. The CCTV Manager will send you proof of what has been ‘masked’ for your approval and amendments can be made until you are satisfied

Crime Watch has a wide range of contracts with commercial clients through to residential complexes and some private residents, where monitoring of CCTV cameras is contracted for specific periods of time.

In residential suburbs where they are not being paid to be monitored, but are part of the wider ‘Safer Communities project” then the cameras are monitored by the Crime Watch Control Room in three distinct ways. Prevention, Routine CCTV Patrolling and Detection in the main.

1. Prevention -Criminals do not confine themselves to one area, the same people can be seen by our Armed Reaction Officers in Montague Gardens, Tijgerhof and Sunset Beach for example, the CCTV network enables us help monitor their movements and deploy Reaction officers accordingly.

2. Control Room Routine CCTV Patrolling – For the majority of the average day, the CCTV network is monitored within its contractual obligations, or in routine CCTV Patrolling mode, dependant on the camera. The Control operators focus for periods of time through the day and night on each camera, which is recorded on a CCTV surveillance log.

This is where all the relevant cameras within the network are routinely reviewed to see if there is any suspicious or unusual activity occurring or that known individuals have not suddenly appeared in a particular street, where they have no reason to be. PTZ (Pan, Tilt, and Zoom) cameras often cover many households and even different streets and intersections. The Controller will scan each street.

Whilst the pictures provided by each camera are permanently on a screen within the Control Room, the operators cannot view every single one at all times. That in itself would require a significant increase in the level of manpower and is totally cost prohibitive in a residential situation.

3. Detection – In the event of a positive activation ‘Break In’, whilst the Control Room are deploying Reaction Officers to it, the monitoring side of the Control Room, can start to hunt and detect potential culprits fleeing the scene of the crime whether they are on foot or in a vehicle. Obviously we are limited by the extent of the camera network, but as it develops our ability to detect becomes more successful.

When suspicious activity is detected and being monitored by the Control Room operators, that is the focus of attention, because we have to deal with the immediate threat that exists. Our mandate is to’ Protect our clients, Protect their Property, Bring Criminals to Justice’ on occasion that may mean that other cameras are not being monitored because there is no Immediate threat at the time.

This enables us to provide intelligent policing, better detection, and excellent response times for added security within our communities.

The Crime Watch Control Room is manned 24 hrs a day 365 days a year. There are currently a team of three sometimes four Control Room Operators who manage our Alarm & CCTV monitoring systems. They fall under the direction of a Control Room Manager, and are all PSIRA (Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority) trained and comply fully with SAIDSA (South African Intruder Detection Security Agency) policies and Procedures.

We do not enter any agreements with our clients in relation to the handling of animals. We ask clients with dogs to ensure that clear instruction is on their notes with regards their own animals.
On occasion Armed Reaction Officers are asked to come and move or chase away Dogs, these are often considered threating, aggressive or dangerous.

• As a general rule, Armed Reaction Officers will not enter a property if there is any danger that they will be attacked by an animal
• Armed Reaction Officers are NOT expected to deal with dogs at all.
• If asked to attend to a problem animal, an Armed Reaction Officer should attend the situation to see at first-hand what the problem is and direct the client from there.
• They should make it clear to the client that they not be able to assist, and should inform Control of the issue that they see.
• Control may be able to contact the dog’s owner or a neighbour who may be familiar with the dog
• If they believe that they can assist the client and deal with the dog(s) in question and resolve the problem for the client – that is entirely up to them – they are under no pressure from the company to do so. Some people are more comfortable with dogs than others. It may be that backup may also be required to deal with the issue
• On occasion, an agitated and scared client may behave in an unreasonable manner with the AR Officer expecting them to deal with the dog(s). The AR Officer should simply tell the client to ring the Control Room who will confirm the company policy.

Disturbance of peace/ noise nuisance – July 2016
South African law, through the Environment Conservation Act 73 of 1989 and municipal by-laws, protect recipients of intolerable noise pollution.

The Regulations define noise disturbance as follows: “Any sound which disturbs or impairs or may disturb or impair the convenience or peace of any person” and “disturbing noise” as “a noise level that exceeds the ambient sound level measured continuously at the same measuring point by 7 decibels or more.”

A resident in a town, and more particularly a resident in a residential neighbourhood, is entitled to the ordinary comfort and convenience of his home, and if owing to the actions of his neighbour he is subjected to annoyance or inconvenience greater than that to which a normal person must be expected to submit in contact with his fellow-men, then he has a legal remedy.”

The urban myth says you can make noise until 10pm on a week night and 12pm on a weekend but, in actual fact most municipalities have by-laws in place that focus on the number of decibels rendered rather than the actual time frame in which noise is made.

Municipal by-laws govern disturbing noise. An example of this kind of noise would be loud party music. This kind of party noise is generally tolerated until 10pm on a Friday and/or Saturday evening before you can take steps against the perpetrator/s. SAPS will generally deal with these noise issues if there are complaints from neighbours and there are steps to follow if it becomes a nasty habit of a neighbour.

Noise nuisance is a totally different matter. This can include playing loud music, a musical instrument or operating a television set loudly, operating machinery or power tools that cause a noise nuisance, shouting and talking loudly, allowing an animal to become a noise nuisance, operating a vehicle that causes a noise nuisance and driving a vehicle on a public road in a manner that causes a noise nuisance. This noise is illegal at all times and is enforceable at any time of the day.

In terms of section 25 of the Act, The Regulations define noise disturbance as follows: “Any sound which disturbs or impairs or may disturb or impair the convenience or peace of any person” and “disturbing noise” as “a noise level that exceeds the ambient sound level measured continuously at the same measuring point by 7 decibels or more.”

If a vagrant is on your property or any person unauthorised to be there, Crime Watch are empowered by you to remove them to the nearest public space. Unfortunately we are not legally empowered or authorised to remove them further than that as it is every citizen’s right to be there.

If a vagrant or unauthorised person has committed any damage to your property or lit a fire for example they can be arrested accordingly and will be taken to SAPS and charged provided there is appropriate evidence, which the Armed Reaction Officer is well aware of.