How Gotcha works

Gotcha is a database of reported crime incidents in Jeffreys Bay, linked to a map based visual interface.

Anyone can report crimes to Gotcha by

  • submitting an incident report directly on this website (click on "Submit a report")
  • sending an email to alerts@gotcha.org.za
  • sending a tweet with the hashtag #gotchajbay

In the future, depending on the success of this site, incident reports will also be submitted via SMS.

Submitted incident reports do not immediately appear on the site. They are first reviewed by the site administrator(s). Additional information may be requested, confirmation from other sources such as the SAPS may be required. The administrator edits the incident report, locates the incident on the map, categorises it appropriately, and approves it for publication. Now the details of the report will appear on the site.

To view crime stats, go to the Home page, then

  1. Set the timescale you are interested in, just under the map (select From and To dates, or just drag the buttons on the time scale)
  2. Select the categories of crime you are interested in on the right, or leave All Categories selected.
  3. Adjust the location and scale of the map to view the area in which you are interested. You can simply drag the map by holding down the left mouse button and moving the pointer.
  4. Crime incidents will appear as coloured circles on the map. The colour indicates the category of crime. The number in the circle indicates the number of incidents. Zoom in to see more details. Click on a circle for additional information.
  5. Below the map you will see a graph showing the frequency of incidents over time, in the date range selected. By clicking on the "Play" button on the top right, you can see a dynamic display of incidents over time.
  6. Below the graph, on the left, is a list of all incidents in the selected date range in date order. Click on any incident to see the detailed report, its location on a map, and the location of nearby incidents. You can also leave a comment on any incident, at the bottom of the page.
  7. Below the graph, on the right, is an RSS feed of selected news reports for the Kouga area.

You can view a summary list of all reports logged on the "Reports" tab.

To be automatically notified whenever a crime is reported near you,

  1. Click on "Get Alerts" tab
  2. Select your location on the map
  3. Set the reporting radius, in kilometres, inside which you wish to receive reports
  4. Select  email address as your preferred means of notification, and provide your address (Mobile phone alerts not currently affordable or available). Click on the green "Save my alert" button. A confirmation email is sent to the given email address. Click on the blue text in this email to confirm your email identity.
  5. You will receive an email notification whenever a crime report is logged within your specified radius of your house location. (You can cancel these alerts at any time).
  6. If you wish to be notified via RSS feed of updates to the site, the RSS feed url is supplied on the page.

If you wish to communicate directly with the administrator, rather than file a report, click on the "Contact Us" tab. You can also communicate with the administrator via the blog site at www.gotcha.org.za.