Here’s what you need to know about your local CPF:
According to the CPF’s website, they are there to fulfil a vital role in society, namely to assist law enforcement officials in the fight against crime.
What role does the CPF play in the community?
•The CPF ensures the efficient and appropriate service delivery of safety and security to the community of Benoni.
•Members address complaints against the police on behalf of the community and against criminal elements in a particular community on behalf of policing partners.
•The CPF builds communication and problem-solving channels between all policing partners and the community.
•It produces safety plans from reported police statistics, as well as community needs and complaints regarding crime hot spots and suspicious activities.
•The CPF plans and participates in anti-crime exercises which are determined by the community’s complaints.
•They facilitate safety and security meetings between the community and law enforcement entities.
What is the relationship between CPFs and the South African Police Service (SAPS)?
•CPFs assist police by improving police service delivery to their communities and strengthening partnerships between the community and police.
•They promote joint problem-solving and ensure police accountability.
•The CPF ensures proper communication between the police and the community – which enhances the police’s ability to combat and prevent crime.
•Communities are thus able to monitor, evaluate and advise police.
•Police, in turn, become accountable to the communities they serve.
What rights do CPF members have when responding to crimes?
•The SAPS remain the operational police authority for the CPF.
•A CPF is there to augment and assist the SAPS in a reactive scene and, where they have not yet arrived, to stand in for the SAPS until they do arrive on the scene.
•CPF members can react to crime scenes, contain crime scenes, do point duty, manage accident scenes and support both the SAPS and Metro Police to track and trace perpetrators of crime.
•A CPF member may also carry out a citizen’s arrest, if the need arises.
How effective are CPFs in reducing crime?
The CPF assists in crime prevention by means of neighbourhood patrols, which decrease crime in areas where patrols are prevalent.
Visible patrol systems deter criminal activity.
Suspicious activity is channeled through to authorities.
Information regarding social problems is also passed on to relevant authorities.
The CPF assists at crime scenes, to ensure that vital evidence, witnesses and suspects are on hand for the SAPS.
What are the requirements to join your local CPF?
A person must work or live in Benoni to join the Benoni CPF, they cannot have a criminal record, they must have a valid South African ID and they must also have a permanent resident permit.
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