The divide between Alex residents and the police may disappear soon if a joint anti-crime plan comes to fruition.
Residents and local police met at the Alexandra Police Station through an initiative called The Citizens Based Monitoring of the Police Service. Also present were officials from the provincial and national departments of Safety and Security; Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation; the Premier’s office and members of the Community Policing Forum.
They discussed feedback gathered from interviews conducted by the police and NPOs with 3 900 residents and 30 non-commissioned staff members of the Alex Police Station on areas of police work to be improved. They further explored ways for the police to gain the confidence of the community.
The major problem areas were identified as:
- Poor working relationship between the community and the police and within the police services.
- Mushrooming of shebeens which contribute to crime.
- Bribery and corruption within the police, partly influenced by the community.
- Poor visibility and patrolling by the police.
The plenary and group sessions noted that these challenges derived from among others, limited resources and capacity within the police services, which prompted the public’s perception of the police as being poorly trained and corrupt. They identified the need to improve communication so that members of the public could understand the frustrations faced by the police when executing their duties. Also, for members of the public to understand that they contribute to some of the problems, in particular, bribery, including bribes by drug dealers and tavern operators.
Sibongile Masemola of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation said the joint planning process was in the interests of the residents and the police and will require the affirmation of police’s senior management to enable implementation. She urged both parties to engage in regular education and information exchange sessions on security matters and to draw in other stakeholders to make the initiative more inclusive.
The participants committed to developing plans which will be solution-driven, practical, innovative and with a communication strategy to enable the information to be disseminated to the residents and all stakeholders. They also committed to being accountable to the plan and urged the national police management and leadership to allocate appropriate resources, monitor implementation and to access the impact of the plan.
Details: Sibongile Masemola, 072 348 8486.
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