Buzzer connects communities and makes them safer by introducing simple, smart and social incident communication and response.

Buzzer was developed and launched in Hout Bay in 2019, leading to a significant improvement in incident specific community awareness, community responses and a reduction in crime incidents.

Buzzer was designed to be the fastest method of providing you a swift response in case of emergencies and aims to be part of the future of personal and community safety.

We’ve all witnessed safety in numbers and this way you can ask for help from the people closest to you, within your community. It also allows you to help when and if you can.

OBSID is both the community admin and the monitor for the Observatory community and will be central to the coordination of responses and the spread of information and updates.

Join us in this pilot project by downloading and using the Buzzer app.

From the Apple App Store – https://apple.co/3cYogNb

From the Google Play store –  https://bit.ly/2zpDfkR

Why we like it – and why you should too!

• OBSID is both the community admin and BuzzerPro Monitor for this community.
• Buzzer links you directly with the OBSID control room via the app (remember that most of the ObsWatch groups aren’t linked to our control room) as well as neighbours and people nearby – alerting everyone to your need for assistance or to the incident you are reporting.
• Every person on the app is another set of eyes and ears in the ‘hood, keeping Obs safer.
• Once an incident ends, the report is closed, so it’ll help stop duplicate reporting and the spread of misinformation.
• Your actual location is visible (not just your home location) so our response officers will know where to find you.
• Buzzer is focussed on incidents and request for assistance – leaving the street WhatsApp groups to be used for conversations, lost pets and other non-community safety related issues.
• Buzzer allows us to broadcast messages to the entire ‘hood, or only specific sectors in one go – so information goes out to where it’s needed, when it’s needed.
• It’s free to download onto smartphones (Android and Apple OS) and uses minimal data.
• Buzzer is for everyone who passes through, lives, works or plays in Observatory – so feel free to share it with friends, family, child minders and employees of your business.
• You can use it to request assistance in any area in CT where the app is in use – making calling for assistance a whole lot easier.

How it works:

There are 2 ways to use the app:

• SOS – press and hold for 3 seconds – for use when you are feeling unsafe, are seeing a crime or are a victim of crime.
• Report – 8 different categories – making it easy for you to report issues related to lights, drains, water, emergency services or suspicious movements of people or vehicles.

This is also the channel to use to make late reports – i.e. of incidents that have already happened (please keep doing this, the more we know, the more our deployments can be adjusted and updated).

Find out more about the app here: https://buzzer.co.za/  follow Buzzer on Facebook: @buzzersa.

 Contact Stoney Steenkamp at OBSID on 021 448 7090, 071 811 3353 or [email protected]

Contact the OBSID 24/7/265 control room on 021 447 1066.