Women in Ilanda are running night patrols after the suburb got tired of break-ins and petty theft. Sheba Makanyanga, who sits on the local watch committee, helped organize the whole thing after people realized staying quiet about crime was getting them nowhere. The group uses phones and walkie-talkies to blast out alerts when something sketchy goes down, and residents say response times got way faster.
The patrol team up with male volunteers, but having women involved changed how seriously everyone takes it. Cold weather and balancing family stuff make it rough, though the crew keeps showing up. Crime dropped off hard since they started, and criminals apparently figured out the neighborhood actually pays attention.
The community just picked up its fifth patrol vehicle, a Honda Odyssey, which should help them cover more ground and back up police faster.
The patrol team up with male volunteers, but having women involved changed how seriously everyone takes it. Cold weather and balancing family stuff make it rough, though the crew keeps showing up. Crime dropped off hard since they started, and criminals apparently figured out the neighborhood actually pays attention.
The community just picked up its fifth patrol vehicle, a Honda Odyssey, which should help them cover more ground and back up police faster.
