Warrant Officer Balan Muthan, head of communications for the Douglasdale police, said there will be numerous operations and projects by the social crime prevention unit of the station in November. Together with the Douglasdale Community Policing Forum and other stakeholders, the social crime prevention unit will educate the community and sensitise them to the seriousness of violence against women and children.
The campaign’s awareness days will take place on 23 November at Lonehill Park, 27 November at Lonehill Village Church, 1 December at Witkoppen Clinic and 3 December at Msawawa informal settlement. The social crime prevention unit will also distribute pamphlets about violence against women and children at random roadblocks in the Fourways area. “As the management of the Douglasdale police, we believe that activism towards violence against women and children should be adhered to throughout the year, not just during a specific month,” Muthan said.
In the same vein as the station’s activism against domestic abuse, Muthan also encouraged residents to take down the names of the officers they hand their protection orders to when filing these court-obtained documents after hours. “This will alleviate the problem of protection orders being misplaced or lost when officers go off duty,” he said.
