Female officers lead the ship
The Brackendowns SAPS is now under the wings of seasoned female officers and moms whose primary objective is to protect and serve the community.
“It’s either policing or nothing at all,” the Brackendowns SAPS’ newly promoted officers echoed that they would not trade their profession for anything.
Congratulations to the station’s new station commander, Colonel Jacoline van der Westhuizen, and the recently appointed Visible Policing (VISPOL) commander, Lieutenant Colonel Antoinette Foord [second in charge to the station commander].
The station also welcomed Sergeant Lindile Moloi back after a three-year break in the client service centre. Moloi returned at the beginning of September.
The female officers have been in office for almost 30 days, and since their appointments, their station has seen a remarkable improvement in some of their operations.
Together, the women in blue, with a wealth of experience, are ready to lead and ensure they clamp down on crime in their policing precinct while wearing many hats.
Equally hands-on in their communities, these public servants share one goal – to keep the Brackendowns SAPS in the top 10 top-performing police stations in Gauteng and keep the community crime-free.
They believe females in the community facing domestic and gender-based violence will feel more open to discussing their issues with the station’s newly promoted public servants.
Established effectiveness
Van der Westhuizen and Foord have been in the force since 1991. They started as students. With time, they climbed the ladder of success through their tireless work.
“I started in the police in 1991 as a student. And then, from January to June 1992, I attended a police college. Thereafter, I worked at the then-old District Office in the finance environment until 2004. I was promoted to captain at the Eldorado Park SAPS, and I went back to the Meyerton SAPS as head of finance from 2008 until 2017,” said Van der Westhuizen.
She soon became the support head at the Brackendowns SAPS as a lieutenant colonel. From 2019 to 2021, she was the acting station commander while being a support head at the station.
Foord followed suit. She joined the service in 1991 as a student at the Alberton SAPS. She then joined a police institution where she received her basic training and was posted back to Alberton until 2000.
Her commitment culminated in her growth.
“I was promoted to captain in the Brackendowns SAPS in October 2000. From then on, I continued to serve. I was the first crime prevention head, and then in 2010, I was second in charge of the VISPOL component. I later became the acting VISPOL head,” Foord said.
Moloi, who has at least 19 years in the service, having worked in the Brackendowns SAPS as the station’s spokesperson and event co-ordinator, said the newly appointed officers’ vision was improving service delivery to the community.
Putting the community first
Van der Westhuizen said: “Our vision is to attend to the community’s needs. We’ve already started looking at our community groups and the types of complaints, and we’re trying to address them. We are here to serve and protect the community.”
According to Moloi, there are several things they have since committed in terms of bringing visibility and combating crime.
“Almost daily, we join forces with relevant stakeholders and security companies to conduct operations. We have since increased our operations and want to assure our community we are there for them,” she said.
These devoted mothers, who are just as involved in their communities as in other life-changing initiatives, said striking a work-life balance was only possible with the support of their loved ones.
Foord is involved with the Animal Protection Network (APN), Van der Westhuizen in community outreach programmes and Moloi has adopted two preschools. They have committed to working around the clock to keep crime off the streets.
