Members of Honeydew CPF, joined by members of bordering police precincts, security companies and EMS officials had their monthly mass standoff on 23 April in Weltevreden Park. Friday’s operation, which included more than 60 vehicles and countless individuals, was dedicated to putting a halt to any criminal activity in the area.
Vice chairperson of Honeydew CPF, Jon Rosenberg said he currently has 65 patrollers for the Honeydew area who work on a volunteer basis. “As a spin-off we also started the Victim Support Team. These are men and women who go out to a ‘hot scene’, which could be the scene where an armed robbery, hijacking, or rape had just happened. They go and calm the situation and explain to the victim what is going to happen in terms of police proceedings,” he said.
Rosenberg added that some businesses have come to the table to assist the CPF and other volunteers with the work they are doing – most recently 60 cones were donated. “That’s part of our job as well. Where there are accidents we will go and help with scene safety and traffic flow. I want to encourage businesses to come to the party because these people are all volunteers and not all of them can afford the kit, the bulletproof vests, etc,” he added.
The standoffs were initiated two years ago and are done in different precincts within the Honeydew area. It not only shows the collaboration between different security and emergency personnel, but allows individuals working towards one collective goal to get to know each other in neighbouring precincts.
Johan Pretorius from Fidelity ADT added, “Within a few weeks we will start seeing a lot of resources being put into the area, and response time will be quicker than ever.”
