Now that the Cleveland Community Police Forum (CCPF) has a strong footing on the ground, the chairperson’s next aim is to bring about more community involvement.
Last year the CCPF held several successful public meetings, increased the number of people attending monthly meetings, hosted crime awareness campaigns and addressed residents’ concerns where they could.
This year, the executive committee plans on increasing public participation to create awareness about crime and bring about safety.
At a recent public meeting in Cyrildene, Mr Godfrey Mothibe, the chairperson of the CCPF, said there is a lack of communication between some communities in the Cleveland SAPS precinct. “We need to build relationships with each other. We need to know our neighbours, report incidents and find solutions to problems,” said Mr Mothibe.
He believes the only way to tackle crime is for the community to take a stand, work with the SAPS and be alert to what is happening within the immediate surroundings.
He said some sector forums, such as the forum for Cyrildene, Dewetshof and Bruma, are running smoothly but others are struggling due to the lack of community participation.
“There is also a lack of organised formations representing different communities. People need to work together. The community can help the SAPS in the fight against crime by establishing street committees, block forums, strong sector forums and also by getting involved in the CCPF. The CCPF aims to create open lines of communication between the relevant role players. We also plan on developing a good relationship and partnership with religious organisations, educational institutions, businesses and security agents,” said Mr Mothibe.
Contact Mr Mothibe on 082 871 3570, or the vice-chairperson, Mr Msindisi Vilakazi, on 082 759 3801 if you would like advise on how to start street committees and block forums.
