Honouring the CPF’s unsung heroes

We sometimes forget about the heroes working behind the scenes, but the Krugersdorp Sector 7 Community Policing Forum (CPF) wants to honour some of their patrollers who have been working tirelessly.

These patrollers have dedicated themselves to serving their community despite the risk of contracting Covid-19. They have put themselves on the frontline to help their community all at their own expense.

These patrollers have been identified as Hannes le Roux, Werner van Zyl, Vicki Vermaak, Anton Vermaak, Peter Bradfield, Luigi Ragni, Ricco Stevens, Wessel du Plessis and Christo van Wyk.

“During the initial lockdown, we saw a dramatic decrease in armed robberies and burglaries, but since we moved into Level 4 and then Level 3 of the lockdown, we noticed a massive surge in these crimes – probably the worst statistics we’ve ever seen, with numerous house robberies and burglaries in the first weeks of June and July,” said Mark Trump, Patrol Coordinator for Sector 7.

He explained that Sector 7 is small, and is made up of Rangeview, Noordheuwel Ext 4, Noordkruin and Kenmare Ext 4. At the start of the lockdown CPFs were not declared essential services. They could only provide responsive services and not go on patrols, which left the community feeling alarmed.

“As we all know, prevention is better than cure, and without the visibility that the CPF provides within a community, the streets became a free for all to criminals,” explained Trump.

On 5 May, after consultations between the CPF and police, the CPF and neighbourhood watches were reinstated and declared essential services. This meant that patrollers could perform their duties if they had a permit and adhered to Covid-19 regulations.

But Trump said that crime is still on the rise and as the CPF they have an obligation to alert their communities. This is not done to instil fear and spread panic, but it is a message to prevent and fight against crime together.

Alan Winstanley, who had recently been a victim of violent crime when his house was broken into, believes that the community of Krugersdorp and South Africa as a whole should stand together against the rising crime.

“We need a ‘we’ mentality instead of the ‘I’ mentality; as a community we all need to step up to the plate in order to prevent crime and assist each other during this time. Ignoring it won’t make it go away,” said Winstanley.

Krugersdorp is made up of 10 sectors, and all CPFs function within their mandate as stipulated by the South African Police Service Act 68 of 1995.

Sector 7 can be reached on their website sector7cpg.co.za or at their offices on the corner of Robert Broom and Lud Hersch Drives.

But Trump said you don’t have to be a patroller to assist; there are many operations within the CPF in which the public could get involved.