Camps Bay Neighbourhood - Up To Date

A Better Way for you to Pay

Camps Bay Watch (CBW) is upping its game against crime with the establishment of the Camps Bay and Clifton Safe Community Trust with which they hope to build up their war chest. Residents were told at the CBWAGM on Wednesday February 16 about the formation of the Trust. CBW vice-chairperson Simon Kneel said residents were concerned and frustrated about the collections of levies used to fund the security resources for the Camps Bay Community Security Initiative (CBCSI), the tactical body of the CBW. A year ago CBW set up the stateof- the-art camera project and control room worth nearly R2 million (“Camera crusade against crime”, Atlantic Sun, February 25 2010). The control room is fitted with high technology equipment including monitors that allow the controller to see what is happening on the streets of Camps Bay.

It also connects and mobilises the different emergency groups in the area, including the CBCSI, police, CBW, Camps Bay Medics, the armed response companies and National Sea Rescue Institute(NSRI). The voluntary levies are collected by the two armed response companies, ADT and Bay Response. This levy of R198, which was approved at the AGM, is in addition to residents’ monthly payments to the armed response companies. Mr Kneel reminded residents that after they debated the concerns at the last AGM, the CBW was given a mandate by the residents to go away and come back with a new structure to collect the money. It was then that the idea of the trust was initiated.

CBW chairperson, Ian Merrington, said: “We needed a publicly accountable entity to provide executive oversight and also to have the administrative capacity and mandate to collect the voluntary levy and disburse that to CBCSI.” Mr Kneel told residents the trust was a formal entity, registered and approved by the court, set up by leading trust expert and Camps Bay resident David Knott, who is one of the trustees.

The four other trustees are Mr Merrington, Spencer McNally, Community Police Forum chairperson Peter Mead and Mr Kneel. Mr Merrington said some residents made direct voluntary payments into the trust’s bank account instead of using the armed response companies. Donations of R35 000 were already deposited in the bank account. Currently 68% of ADT subscribers pay voluntary fees while only 26% of Bay Response clients contribute to the CBCSI.

The total number of contributors is 1 016. This led to an income of R2 257 110 but the expenses were R2 407 310, leaving a shortfall of R566 943. The shortfall excludes the donations. Mr Merrington said they need another 250 subscribers to cover the shortfall. When asked how the funds will be diverted to the trust, Mr Merrington explained: “We will actively begin to migrate levy payments from Bay Response subscribers in May, with Bay Response’s assistance. “ADT has a high collection rate and therefore we do not have any plans in the next 12 months to migrate those as this is not necessary.”

Mr Kneel said CBW felt Bay Response’s collection rate could be done “better and more effectively” if it was done by the trust. Mr Merrington said they will be working “hand-in-hand” with Bay Response. “We will contact their subscribers jointly during April and May with the intention of completing the switchover by the end of June. We will contact residents who are Bay Response subscribers directly and inform them of the mechanics of paying the CBCSI levy directly to the trust. “This will be done by letter and email and we will start a door-todoor campaign run by the CBW volunteers in each area,” he said, adding that meetings will also be held. Mr Merrington said Bay Response will inform them of their subscribers to facilitate the handover of collections. Residents may not want to pay the armed response companies because they do not have the direct emotional connection with the CBCSI when paying the levy through a third party, said Mr Merrington. Because it is a voluntary levy, Mr Merrington said the armed response companies may not “sell” the CBCSI concept to new clients.

He said the trust would be a more effective way of managing funds. “We believe that we will have a much higher participation rate among Bay Response subscribers as we will appeal directly to them as members of the community. We are able to mobilise the Camps Bay Watch volunteer network to appeal directly to their neighbours who are Bay Response subscribers to get them to take part in the scheme,” he said. Mr Merrington said the funds will be allocated to the armed response companies based on the cost of the services that they provide to CBCSI. “They get paid for whatever they provide. Bay Response provides radio controllers for the control room 24/7, ADT provides all the other resources such as the Tactical Unit, guards and so on, and Pro Project provides overall scheme operational management and deployment and also strategic input,” he said.

 Various options were researched, including a Pty (Ltd) Company and a closed corporation, said Mr Merrington, adding that the trust met the “bulk of the needs”. Mr Kneel said the trust and the trustees were governed by the Trust Properties Control Act. He said the Act ensures that the assets of the trust are administered by the trustees, who have a fiduciary duty, for the benefit of the beneficiaries, the general community of Camps Bay and Clifton, in accordance with the objectives of the trust. “The trust will publish detailed and audited annual financial statements,” he said. Mr Kneel said they were preparing an application for a Public Benefit Organisation (PBO) status to the South African Revenue Services (SARS), which offers certain advantages, including the issuing of a tax break.

“PBO status is not assured as the laws governing the granting of this are complex and ultimately the decision is at the discretion of SARS,” said Mr Kneel. Mr Merrington said armed response subscribers must not rush off and cancel their voluntary levy payments yet. “We need to build up administrative capacity in the trust and we will therefore communicate directly with subscribers when the time is right, probably May or June,” he said.

Visit www.campsbaywatch.org for more information or call Mr Merrington on 082 460 2720 for more information.

This article applies to: Middle, Rontree 1, Rontree 2, Glen, Bakoven, Village, Clifton, CPF