Welcome to OWLS PHCA Knysna

What is OWLS?

OWLS is a Neighbourhood Watch structure that was formed around 2009 by concerned citizens of the Paradise / Knysna Heights community, after a spate of residential burglaries in the area, with as many as 5 incidents per night at its peak.  Concerned residents banded together and conducted foot and vehicle patrols at night to deter the criminal element.  These proved to be extremely successful and that particular criminal group moved on.  Following this success, the Owls Neighbourhood Watch was formally set up, with membership growing from strength to strength. 

From this early start the slogan “WE ARE WATCHING YOU” was adopted.

In 2012, the OWLS group formalised and adopted a constitution under the name OWLS PHCA (Paradise Heights Community Association) encompassing the suburbs of Paradise, Knysna Heights, Westhill & Heuwelkruin.  The OWLS PHCA is now a formally registered Neighbourhood Watch falling under the Knysna CPF (Community Police Forum) and Department of Community Safety.

We form an integral part of a much larger fight against crime, in proud association with private security companies (Allsound Security in particular), Knysna CPF, SAPS, the Dept of Correctional Services, and the Western Cape Dept of Community Safety.  This is a formidable “team” all working together, dedicated to combatting crime in our community.  Information is shared regularly between these entities (including ourselves), so that we may jointly be informed of criminal activity, and work together to speedily combat threats to our neighbourhood.

Why should you join OWLS?

Crime potentially impacts us all; from the obvious safety of our loved ones to our possessions to our property values.  OWLS PHCA efforts, in conjunction with our crime prevention partners, benefits each and every homeowner and resident in the area, and unite us with a common goal – keep our area safe and the criminal element out!!

Current OWLS members enjoy a direct benefit from:

1. Knowing that your neighbourhood has a large team of people, from various entities, all working together daily in a concerted effort to combat crime in our area.
2. Being included on the OWLS-managed WhatsApp groups where you receive notifications of criminal or suspicious behaviour taking place in our area. We also have key SAPS, CPF & Allsound members on our WhatsApp groups – they monitor the activity on the groups, as well as post vital Alerts regarding our area.
3. Members (volunteers) patrol our suburb to monitor activity and raise general awareness of our “WE ARE WATCHING YOU” motto.
4. Contributing toward, and receiving the benefits of, a significant CCTV camera network in the area – a growing grid of modern crime-fighting technology which has already contributed greatly to combatting crime in our area.
5. Making a positive contribution to keeping our area safe by generally staying informed and forming a social bond through our common concern of looking out for each other.

It’s really all about neighbours working together as a team, and reporting suspicious activities.  This information is passed along the line so that our crime prevention partners may assist us in an appropriate manner for the threat.  Conversely, our partners also alert us of any activity as they are informed, and we in turn can pass it along.

Maintaining and improving the security of the area as a whole has cost implications.  This requires us to collect membership contributions annually.  As a community initiative, these are kept low – a current annual membership contribution of R400 (for our 2023/24 financial year, commencing 1 November 2023) is all that is required for you to be part of this vital effort in fighting crime.  This covers expenses and allows us to expand our CCTV network gradually. In short, your participation (both financially and by just being another pair of eyes & ears on the ground) is really important to us in our endeavours.

Don’t just leave it up to your neighbours to look out for you – join in and help us all look after each other.

Should any resident find the annual membership contribution too heavy a burden, please communicate with our committee so that we may consider how we may accommodate you.  Our objective is to provide a blanket of security for all our residents, so we will do our utmost to accommodate you.

More about our Neighbourhood CCTV Cameras

Our OWLS Neighbourhood Watch has been a leader in Knysna in the employment of CCTV technology.  By adopting this technology, we have been able to gain an advantage over criminals seeking to ply their trade in our neighbourhood.  We now have numerous CCTV cameras across the neighbourhood – and increasing all the time.  Our cameras have been instrumental on occasion in apprehending and prosecuting perpetrators, and in the opinion of both Allsound & SAPS officials, our cameras are seen as a very significant asset in our efforts.  We are constantly on the drive to expand this network for greater efficiency – your annual membership contribution and generous added donations are vital in this effort.  We have very little in the way of day-to-day running costs, so the vast majority of our income goes toward this valuable initiative.

It must be mentioned in this regard that we work hand in hand with Allsound in all respects regarding our CCTV network.  As such we have forged a vital partnership in our joint common efforts.  Allsound themselves are constantly working on improving their own technology with regard to both hardware & software, and we benefit directly from the greater muscle of their efforts.  We are ever grateful to Allsound.

Further Information