Recognise Local Heroes: Submit Your Neighbourhood Watch Award Nominations Today
01 September 2026
The City’s Safety and Security Directorate invites communities to submit nominations for the annual Neighbourhood Watch(NW) awards. The award ceremony will take place on 21 November 2026.
Through the annual NW awards, the Safety and Security Directorate recognises service excellence, commitment, hard work and perseverance of hundreds of NWs.
The nomination process opened today and will close on 30 September 2026.
As in previous years, the process allows for the nomination of individual members and/or organisations.
Nominees must be accredited with the Provincial Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety, or have formal accreditation applications pending.
This year the categories include:
- Neighbourhood Watch Member of the Year: celebrating individual excellence in safeguarding community members and property
- Crime Fighter of the Year: honouring exceptional service in the fight against crime
- Neighbourhood Watch of the Year: recognising organisations that excel in protecting their communities
- Organisational Excellence: for excellence in Neighbourhood Watch management
- Mobiliser of the Year: for exceptional efforts to mobilise communities in support of safety
- Inspiration of the Year: a leader who has displayed inspirational public leadership across several Neighbourhood Watches, in support of community safety and the greater public good
- Courage in Action: in recognition of sustained operations in the face of highly compromised community safety, such as drug activity or gang violence
- Situational Crime Prevention Award: in recognition of exceptional efforts towards a clean, healthy, and safe environment, in which communities can lead dignified lives
- Social Responsibility Award: in recognition of a deep commitment to addressing, mitigating, and healing social ills, towards healthier, inclusive, and united communities
- Disaster Relief Contributor of the Year Award: This award recognises a Neighbourhood Watch that has gone above and beyond in building community resilience and safety in the face of ongoing hazards — through proactive risk reduction, emergency preparedness, and rapid-response support to residents.
- Best Utilisation of Technology Award: innovative and effective use of technology to enhance safety.
‘We have so many different people and groups who devote their lives to a safer city – some in uniform, others in reflective vests, patrolling their streets night after night. This annual recognition of their efforts, by their peers and their communities, no less, is a small token of our appreciation. I spend many hours patrolling alongside these organisations, and the devotion and dedication I witness is truly inspiring. So as we open the nominations process for this year, I want to encourage the public to get involved and show their gratitude by nominating persons in the Neighbourhood Watch sector who are making a difference,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
Nominations must be submitted by Wednesday, 30 September. The relevant forms can be accessed here: Submit nominations for the Neighbourhood Watch Awards - News and Notices (capetown.gov.za)
For queries on the nomination application process, an e-mail can be sent to nw.awards@capetown.gov.za
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