How Our Camera Network is changing the Crime Story in Tamboerskloof
Compared to a decade ago, Tamboerskloof has made extraordinary progress — break-ins have dropped by 95%, vehicle thefts by 92%, and car window smashings by 83%.
These improvements didn’t happen overnight, but are the result of ten years of steady investment, innovation, and community effort.
Ten years on — and the difference is remarkable.
Thanks to our growing network of cameras, AI-powered public space monitoring, and rapid response coordination, these numbers have dropped to record lows (based on incidents reported to TBKWatch):
• Car windows smashed: now just 5–7 a month
• Vehicle thefts: only 1 case year to date
• House breakings: trending under 10 a year
Our system does far more than just record incidents — it prevents them.
Using real-time alerts, AI behaviour detection, and strategic camera placement, we identify suspicious movement as it happens. Within minutes, our volunteers, ARO teams, and law enforcement partners are able to investigate and intervene.
We currently detect up to 15 individuals passing through the suburb at night — often in search of shelter, bins to scratch in, or opportunistic targets.
With current resources, we’re able to locate and intervene with over 50% of those entries.
With the rollout of TBK 4.0, our goal is simple:
Reach 100% detection and intervention.
That means no blind spots, faster action, and even fewer crimes slipping through.
And yes, the message is getting out. As one repeat visitor recently said:
“Jajaja… I know your bl**dy cameras.”
And that’s exactly the point.
The system works — and it’s made Tamboerskloof one of the safer suburbs in the City Bowl.
The trends we’ve observed are fully correlated with SAPS data, confirming the significant impact of our approach.
In the future newsletters, we’ll share how you can connect your own camera to the TBKWATCH network, strengthening the net and helping close the last few gaps.
Every extra camera counts. Every supporter strengthens the system. And every success belongs to all of us.
Thank you for being part of something that truly works.
