Terms of Service

1. What Blockwatch is (and isn't)

Blockwatch is a platform that helps residents share information about incidents in their neighbourhood and, where applicable, relay emergency reports to their linked armed-response company. Blockwatch is not the South African Police Service, not a private security provider, and not an emergency dispatch service. We do not guarantee that anyone will respond to a report you submit.

In a life-threatening emergency, call 10111 (SAPS) or 10177 (Ambulance) immediately.

2. Eligibility

You must be 18 or older to create an account, or have the permission and supervision of a parent/guardian. You must provide accurate identity and contact information. Accounts with false information may be suspended without notice.

3. Your account

• You are responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential.
• You are responsible for all activity that happens on your account.
• Accounts are personal — don't share them with others or create duplicate accounts.
• Some features (responding to incidents, signing up for patrols, creating plate watches) require verification by an area administrator.

4. Acceptable use

You agree not to use Blockwatch to:

• Submit false or misleading incident reports. Deliberately false reports may be reported to SAPS.
• Harass, threaten, or defame any person — including naming individuals as suspects without evidence.
• Post content that is unlawful, hateful, racist, or promotes violence.
• Collect, share, or use other users' personal data for purposes unrelated to community safety.
• Attempt to access accounts or data you're not authorised for, reverse-engineer the app, or disrupt the service.
• Use automated means (bots, scrapers) to interact with the platform.
• Misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any organisation, including armed-response companies.

We may remove content, suspend or delete your account, and report to law enforcement if we reasonably believe you've violated these rules.

5. Content you submit

You retain ownership of incident descriptions, photos, and videos you submit. By submitting content, you grant Blockwatch and your linked community members a limited, non-exclusive licence to display, distribute, and use the content within the app for the purpose of community safety — including sharing anonymised analytics with your linked armed-response company. You're responsible for ensuring you have the right to submit the content (don't upload photos of people who haven't consented in contexts that would violate their rights).

6. Identification of suspects

When describing suspects, stick to observable facts (clothing, vehicle, direction of travel). Do not accuse named individuals unless you have direct first-hand knowledge. You may be personally liable under South African defamation law for false accusations. If you believe you know the identity of someone involved in a crime, report it to SAPS directly — not in a public community feed.

7. Armed-response integration

Some users are linked to an armed-response company ("control room") as part of their subscription. If you are linked, emergency reports you submit may be automatically relayed to that company's dispatch system. Response times, service levels, and billing are entirely between you and the armed-response company — Blockwatch is not a party to that agreement and doesn't guarantee response times or outcomes.

8. Availability and changes

We do our best to keep Blockwatch available, but we don't guarantee uninterrupted service. Outages, planned maintenance, or third-party failures (mobile network, app store distribution, etc.) may occur. We may add, change, or remove features at any time. If a change materially affects you, we'll let you know in-app or by email.

9. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Blockwatch and its operators are not liable for any loss, injury, damage, or harm resulting from:

• The accuracy or timing of reports submitted by other users.
• Response delays, failures, or outcomes from armed-response companies, SAPS, or any third party.
• Service interruptions, data loss, or security incidents beyond our reasonable control.
• Actions taken by third parties (including other users) in reliance on information shared through the platform.

Nothing in these terms limits liability for gross negligence, fraud, or death and personal injury caused by our negligence, where such limitation is prohibited by South African law.

10. Termination

You can close your account at any time by emailing support@blockwatchapp.co.za. We may suspend or terminate your account if you violate these terms, submit false reports, or for other legitimate reasons (including regulatory requirements). We'll give you notice where practical.

11. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. If the changes are material, we'll notify you in-app or by email and give you reasonable time to review them before they take effect. Continued use of the app after the effective date means you accept the new terms.

12. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of South Africa. Any dispute that cannot be resolved informally will be handled by the courts of South Africa.

13. Contact

Questions, complaints, or support requests:
support@blockwatchapp.co.za