Police call for stronger community support at Moffat View CPF meeting

Moffat View CPF hosted the Community Safety and Crime Prevention Forum in the southern suburbs on August 16.

Moffat View SAPS station commander, Lieutenant Colonel Shunny Govender, and his team were present.

Also in attendance were community members, CPF members, and speakers including Simphiwe Hlafa (Rosettenville Business Forum), Bulelwa Rashama (EBOTSE Education Training and Development Centre), and wards 56 and 57 Clrs Michael Crichton and Faeeza Chame.

In his opening speech, Govender said he was not pleased with the community attendance, as the law enforcers outnumbered the public in the meeting.

He outlined the crime statistics and gave an overview of his precinct.

“We have a responsibility towards the community, and we want to work together. We serve approximately 100 000 people in the 37 suburbs we cover.

However, certain suburbs are hotspots. Rosettenville alone contributes about 60% of the crime in the entire 37 suburbs. It is followed by La Rochelle and Regents Park. South Hills has gangsterism, while Springfield prevails in contact crime,” he said.

Govender mentioned that the area is highly populated because of large-scale migration. He said unemployment and social ills add to crime in the area.

“Damage to infrastructure is a serious problem. City Power will repair cables, but by tomorrow, the criminals will steal them again. We tried to make inroads in apprehending the suspects and had successful convictions.

However, the process of conviction is long; you don’t arrest today and have the conviction tomorrow.
“The community can play a huge role by being our eyes and ears,” he noted.

The crucial role of patrollers

He said the CPF and Community in Blue must educate residents about their surroundings and help combat crime.

“We have drug problems among children, and their parents are aware of this. However, when we take action, it is the same parents who get in our way.

Also, the community knows where the gangsters are, but they don’t want to come out because they feed them. As a community member, you have a duty to be responsible.

“CPF members must go out to schools and talk to the learners. These children are our future leaders; we need to invest in them. I deal daily with parents who threaten teachers and principals.

“The country has a lot of challenges. If any of you can change your space, we will make a difference. This is a beautiful country and I’m proud to serve its people.

Remember, when people drink alcohol and take drugs, it often leads to assault and sometimes rape. Report suspicious activities. Participate in crime prevention initiatives,” he said.

He also said they are doing their part to curb crime in the hotspot areas by coordinating efforts among law enforcement agencies (JMPD, crime wardens, security companies, and the CPF).

“People often say the police are corrupt, but we don’t corrupt ourselves. Stop offering them a ‘cold drink’. I’m content with my salary and expect my subordinates to do the same.

“Yes, there are rotten apples in the police force; we must expose them because we are all painted with the same brush. The CPF must help me to police this area as I’m not on the ground all the time. We have a lot of work to do. Let’s take responsibility because even if crime hasn’t affected you yet, it eventually will,” said Govender.

CPF chairperson Clarence Ntshangase echoed Govender and informed the community about the CPF structure and responsibilities.

“They help the police to do their job optimally. Through consultation with the community, we get a clear message of what they expect. Crime prevention is our mandate as we operate in the station’s precinct. We identify hotspots and communicate these to the police and local authorities.

“We have targeted crime prevention programmes like organising public meetings to gauge community concerns, and then we relay that to the police,” he said.

Ntshangase mentioned the CPF had a mandate to recruit at least 100 patrollers. So far, they have negotiated and secured full uniforms for 67 patrollers, including the executive.

They currently run a soup kitchen supported by the Apostolic Faith and Act Church.