The long standing dilemma of the dysfunctional Sunnyside Sector 4 Crime Forum has forced the sector commander, Cst. Adolph Chiloane, to call an urgent meeting to solve the problem.
Chiloane invites all Sector 4 residents to a Sector Crime Forum meeting scheduled to take place at the Sunnyside Police Station’s boardroom on Saturday at 11:00.
Sector 4 is the area between Kotze Street, Nelson Mandela Drive, Francis Baard Street, Park Street, Wessels Street and Bourke Street.
Other streets within the sector 4 area are Leyds Street, Celliers Street, Troye Street, Steve Biko Road, Greeff Street, Meintjies Street, Robert Sobukwe Street and De Rapper Street.
At the meeting a new forum will be elected after the previous committee has automatically dissolved itself after failing to meet its mandate of holding monthly meetings.
Chiloane said the dysfunctional crime forum damages the relationship between police and the community.
“This problem kills partnership with the community,” Chiloane said.
He said the station needs an effective crime forum that will work together with the police to fight crime in the area.
Electing a new committee does not guarantee that the new committee will function properly. Chiloane revealed that the area experiences problems with frequently roaming residents, as residents relocate to other areas on almost a daily bases.
Those who move out of Sunnyside decide not to continue working with Sunnyside police and the community since they no longer live in the area.
“Most residents only rent accommodation in the area, so they come and go,” Chiloane said.
The only forum that seems not to be affect by this problem is the caretakers’ forum. It has active members who attend all the meetings and participate effectively.
It is important for the crime sector forum to be well-functioning as the sector forum plays a critical role in establishing the Community Policing Forum (CPF) in the area.
Members of CPF are elected from members of sector forums.
With Sunnyside CPF’s elections scheduled for 8 November, it will be important that by that time the Annual General Meeting takes place and all six Sunnyside sector forums are properly functioning for the coming elections.
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