New leader steps up efforts to reshape fading CPF

The new leader of the Boksburg policing precinct CPF, Rudie Jacobs, is eager to breathe life into the dwindling Boksburg CPF.

The forum has for the past couple of years been dying a slow death and become ineffective in most parts of the precinct.
Jacob, who previously held the position of Sector 3 CPF chairperson, was appointed in November last year to oversee all four sectors within the precinct.

He took over from his predecessor Francois van Heerden, who has been appointed as the Sector 2 CPF chairperson.
Jacobs admitted that the forum, hailed as an integral to local safety, has been chronically not functioning optimally with some suburbs that do not have CPF structures.

He said this resulted in a situation that allowed criminals to take advantage of residents.
However, the newly elected chairperson said with his strong background in community policing he has devised big plans and projects that are already in the pipeline to make the forum impactful.
Part of the renewal projects aims to strengthen the relationships among all the relevant stakeholders, which include the communities, police, security companies, businesses and others.

“CPF was not functioning in the majority of the sectors. Of the four sectors, we had Sector 3 with the bulk of its suburbs still boasting an active CPF. This sector encompasses Parkdene, Cinderella and Farrar Park – as well as Parkrand which didn’t have a formal CPF structure.
“Nonetheless, we are in talks with residents and are working on addressing the issues that are serving as stumbling blocks to have the non-functioning CPF structures up and running in the other parts of the precinct.”

Identified crime trends
According to Jacobs, information at their disposal suggests that the Boksburg CBD and its surroundings in Sector 1 are battling armed robberies targeting businesses, and common robberies where pedestrians are targeted.

The hordes of vagrants hanging around street corners have become a major cause for concern in this area.

Some of the suburbs in this sector, especially Boksburg South and Boksburg East, are plagued by frequent house break-ins.
These areas are also of late experiencing prevalent theft and vandalism of old metal water meters.

Drugs trade
While new crime initiatives have seen more drugs seized and suspects arrested, Jacobs said drug-related crimes remain an issue across the board.

“Even in the residential areas, we know of houses that are suspected of being used as drug houses. Bokkie Park is among the many spots being used for this illicit trade.
“But this type of crime is hard to curb because we don’t have the power, and I think the SAPS is also not resourced enough to handle it better, since the specialised narcotics unit to deal with drug-related crimes died down.”

Jacobs pointed out that at the moment Parkdene, Farrar Park and Cinderella are the quietest suburbs as far as crime is concerned, saying this is probably due to the presence of active CPF structures that play proactive and responsive roles.

“We have a lot of capable people in the CPF. I listened to an interview with an ex-house break-in criminal where the criminal said the single most important factor they consider before targeting any area is whether or not the area has a CPF.”

The CPF leader also warned residents to be wary of sharing personal information with strangers sitting outside their property and claiming to be homeless.
“They can use that information against you because criminal syndicates are sometimes employing them as their ‘spotters’ – watching your every movement and collecting information.”

Community involvement
Jacobs encouraged residents to play their part by either becoming active CPF members or supporting the initiative by serving as law enforcement’s eyes and ears.

“Maintaining high levels of security and ensuring safety is not just the responsibility of the CPF and other law enforcement agencies. Residents also have a role to play.
“The bottom line, precautionary and physical security measures like locking doors, access control, watching for and reporting suspicious activities in neighbourhoods is the primary function of the residents.”

Jacobs also called on community members to use the emergency groups on social media responsibly.

He urged people to avoid posting false alarms because responding to and investigating false alarms and sometimes petty issues that can be easily resolved between the involved parties takes significant time and resources away from security personnel that may be better spent dealing with real threats.

“Posting things like why is my neighbour’s dog in my yard, and pooing on my lawn or barking so loud is unnecessary to post on the emergency groups as they stand in the way of real threat reports.”

Working relations between CPF and police
According to Jacobs, there is a strong partnership and working relationship between police and the Boksburg CPF, but there is always room for improvement.
He gave credit to some police officers whom he said are leaving nothing to chance when it comes to community policing.

“I can confirm that ever since the new commander took over, Boksburg SAPS is a different station now. She has an open-door policy, listens to community problems, and is controlling the station much better.
“She and her management team are always available and willing to help. However, limited resources appear to be at times restraining their efforts.”

He said these challenges include a shortage of vans sometimes, and some members who would at times drag their feet giving disappointingly poor service.
But these are issues that management is trying to correct.
“Even if you take a private company it’s the same story. You get management that wants to do something and pushing for something to happen, but you get some guys on the frontline that are just dragging their feet.”

Jacobs added that the working partnership is not just about the police and the CPF.
“We have a strong working relationship with all the law enforcement agencies, including security companies. And as part of our planned programmes, we seek to revive trust and improve the residents’ relationship with the police.”

Campaigns
When it comes to crime fighting, the CPF has in partnership with other stakeholders initiated a campaign called ‘Taking Boksburg Back’.
“This campaign will see more frequent crime prevention and operations, and blitzes on known crime hotspots across the precinct.

The guys who make a living by standing on the street corners and stealing people’s personal belongings will feel the heat when this campaign is in full force. We need to create a safe environment for our children to play in the parks and walk down the streets freely.”

The CPF is also pushing for frequent school raids, where the youngsters are targeted by drug dealers.

“We need to deal with the social causes of crime and delinquency among our children.
“It’s important to nip this kind of antisocial behaviour in the bud if we are serious about raising law-abiding and responsible future generations.

The Boksburg CPF consist of four sectors:
Sector 1: Boksburg CBD, Plantation, Boksburg East and Boksburg South
Sector 2: Sunward Park and Freeway Park.
Sector 3: Parkrand, Parkdene, Cinderella, Parkland estate and Farrar Park
Sector 4: Comet and its industrial areas, Angelo industrial area, Angelo, Jerusalem and Kanana informal settlements.