| This article was originally published on page 11 of The Star on March 18, 2008 |
| Communities around the country, linked via a website communicating through SMS technology, are being mobilised within minutes of receiving a distress call or missing person report. The e-Blockwatch network, which was started by businessperson Andre Snyman eight years ago, has grown and spread and today boasts a membership of 57 000 South Africans all linked on a data system. All are notified of suspected criminal activity in their areas, as well as missing people alerts or requests for assistance. While e-Blockwatch membership is free, the project is funded by a core group of 3 000 subscribers who pay R17 a month for a "community button" or emergency panic button activated via cellphone. "Essentially it's a service for people who are concerned about crime and want to keep their kids safe. If they pay for this service and then activate the button we will be able to track whoever it is that's gone missing within a couple of minutes because once you've signed up, you bypass all the standard court procedures when tracking a cellphone handset," Snyman said. The subscription money covers the cost of the mass SMS messages that are sent out from time to time. Recent high-profile cases in which e-Blockwatch has been involved are the disappearance of murdered schoolgirl Sheldean Human; the 4-year-old boy who went missing in Pretoria and was found a day later locked in a neighbour's flat; and the disappearance of Cassandra van Rooyen (17), who was found dead. The network is growing and has, for the first time, reached a break-even situation. "In December, for the first time we showed a positive balance, meaning that the project is now paying for itself," said Snyman, who has funded it from the start and does not draw a salary. "But it's something I believe in, and which works well. If you look at the Sheldean case, that child was missing for 24 hours with nobody knowing anything. We put the word out and everybody circulated it to their friends and the media started picking up on the story. By the end of the week the whole country knew that little girl was missing," Snyman said. e-Blockwatch is now linked to the police, digital tracking companies, paramedics and numerous other support networks. They have also shown a lot of success in tracking runaway teenagers. New developments on the cards include the development of a support network of mothers around the country. "Mothers are the people who will instinctively move to help, especially in a case where a child is involved." Register on e-Blockwatch for your emergency panic button Moms interested in signing up for the mother's network should SMS the word "mother" to 33930. |
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