Safety patrols strengthened by interns

THREE interns helping out with the OBSID Public Safety patrols got off to an exciting start when they apprehended a suspected burglar in Arnold Street scarcely a week after starting at the Observatory Improvement District (OBSID).
The suspected burglar was caught carrying a compressor allegedly stolen from Arnold Street. He was handed over to the police
The three patrollers are part of a group of seven youngsters from Chrysalis Academy in Tokai who were recruited for an internship of three months at the OBSID.
All indications are that their presence on the streets of Observatory have been a significant boost for the OBSID Public Safety patrols over the festive season.
The Chrysalis Academy is an initiative by the provincial government aimed at giving training and work experience to youngsters at risk.
Charl Brooks, the contract manager of the OBSID Public Safety patrols, said crime levels were particularly low over the festive season. The extra eyes and ears on the street generated lots of useful information, much of which were passed on to the police.
The Chrysalis patrollers wear blue T-shirts. They patrol mostly wearing bright blue OBSID bibs, but some of them work “under cover” in civilian clothes in order to observe and gather information. They work from Mondays to Fridays from 8am to 4pm.
Their presence has enabled the OBSID to shift some of the full-time patrollers onto night duty.
The general feeling among the Chrysalis patrollers is that they are happy to be working in Obs. The young men, aged from 19 to 22, said their three-month training at the academy was very strenuous and physical, but it also included leadership skills, security, welding, anger management, team building, cooking, carpentry, first-aid and fire fighting courses.
Ursula van Stavel, OBSID COO, said she was impressed with the quality of the young trainees. A new group from Chrysalis will take their place when their internship finishes at the end of February.  Most of the interns have plans to study further ranging from policing, cooking, and electrical studies.
Ursula said the youth training is an important part of the OBSID’s vision of being a constructive, uplifting civic citizen. Currently, two interns from Cape Mental Health in Oak Road are helping out as interns at the OBSID’s office as part of their reintegration into society.