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Midrand police and CPF call on youth to join

Midrand police and CPF established the Midrand YCPD.

The South African police and Community Policy Forums (CPF) have been working towards reviving the Youth Crime Prevention Desks (YCPD) at both local and district levels.

They aim to reduce crime in communities by involving young people in crime prevention activities and awareness programmes.

The idea is to empower them and disengage them from criminal activities by educating them about how to safeguard themselves and others from crimes such as drugs, gender-based violence and abuse, assault, theft, hijackings, bullying in schools, and cyber fraud, to name a few.

In line with this goal, the Midrand CPF and police have established the Midrand YCPD with two streams — Junior Police Ambassador for school-going youth, and Young Adults Forum for non-school-going youth.

Young people have often been subjected to crime, either as perpetrators or as victims. Therefore, the law enforcement authorities felt it necessary to establish and mobilise young people to be part of the solution.

Chris Gatsi, the secretary for the Sector 3 Crime Forum and an ad-hoc member of the Midrand CPF, is coordinating the activities of the YCPD.

Sector 3 Crime Forum secretary Chris Gatsi and patrol coordinator Otto Ramokoka. Photo: Sphiwe Masilela
Sector 3 Crime Forum secretary Chris Gatsi and patrol coordinator Otto Ramokoka. Photo: Sphiwe Masilela

According to him, the initiative will bridge the gap between the police and young people by facilitating dialogue, proactive crime prevention decision-making, and collaborative efforts to combat crime.

“When there is a lack of synergy, then crime-fighting efforts are defeated. Youths make up a large portion of our residents in Midrand. We are also working together with religious and community leaders as well as businesses to bring up activities that will empower our youths, equip them with skills that create self-employment and disengage them from crime,” Gatsi explained.

The YCPD will also create an enabling environment for the reporting of crimes in a friendly manner, with the support of the police social crimes section and victim-friendly programmes.

For schools, they will have a Junior Station Commander who will coordinate crime awareness, reporting channels, and other initiatives.

In the case of young adults, the YCPD will hold several initiatives to empower them with the support of stakeholders such as businesses, civil society, NGOs, religious organisations, and community leaders.

To lead the way, through Gatsis’ SME, young people will be trained in cybersecurity, forensics, and digital forensics, followed by the first-of-its-kind Forensics Moot Competition in August.

In this competition, a hypothetical criminal case will be given, and young people will try to solve it through digital and crime scene forensics, report writing, etc.

Membership is open to all youths aged between 14-35, and they can visit the Midrand Police Station and ask for the YCPD, Vispol, or Social Crimes Section.

Related article: Two murders probed by Midrand police at popular mall

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