Residents are being urged to join an army of volunteers to help fight crime and keep Rhondda Cynon Taf safe.
A new system called Ringmaster 2000 has been purchased by the Rhondda Cynon Taf Community Safety Partnership and people are being encouraged to sign up to the scheme.
Ringmaster 2000 is a computer-based system that gives members free and instant crime information relating to the area where they live by text, e-mail, fax, or phone call.
It allows the partnership to engage with those who sign up in a quick and effective manner.
Information, such as details about bogus callers, anti-social behaviour, missing people, burglaries, car crime and other incidents can be sent as text or voice messages at the push of a button.
As well as sharing information quickly with those who are signed up to the scheme, it is hoped the information can then be passed on, from person to person, to help prevent further incidents and identify offenders.
People can sign up via www.safervalleys.org.uk, a website that also contains useful information and links from the Community Safety Partnership.
The site allows you to choose how you will receive the information, free of charge, and you can also stipulate during which times of the day to receive alerts.
Inspector Richard Erskine, who heads Community Safety across RCT on behalf of South Wales Police, said: “The community and particularly the Neighbourhood Watch and Ringmaster members are the eyes and ears of the police and we appreciate their on-going support.
“Ringmaster makes a significant contribution to making our communities safer and also provides reassurance to residents as it encourages people to be good neighbours.
“For South Wales Police it is an extra tool in our fight to reduce crime as it raises awareness among residents who armed with this information can take the necessary steps to prevent becoming victims themselves.”
Several hundred people, including Neighbourhood Watch coordinators and local groups, are already members of Ringmaster but it is hoped more people including businesses will sign up.
Phil Bevan, Head of the Community Safety Partnership, said: “We know, via our work in communities and at PACT, that residents are keen to hear the latest information that relates to THEIR neighbourhood.
“Community messaging allows us to do that. We can raise awareness of events and initiatives and also send alerts if there is a particular crime trend, offender or issue that we feel residents and groups in a certain area need to be aware of.
“The potential for us to reach out and engage with a large proportion of our communities, via a simple and effective message, is huge.
“We hope people take advantage of the new service and, importantly, engage with us to tell us the kind of information they wish to receive.”
