#TopCop Award winner announced at second award ceremony

Police officers and members of Douglasdale Police Station gathered at the second Top Cop Awards ceremony at Auto & General in Dainfern.

The awards are to honour and recognise police officers who put their lives on the line for the safety of the community. For the month of June, Captain Fritz Kriel was announced as the Top Cop.

Nominated for Best Vispol commander, Kriel said, “It makes me feel proud and wanted by people in the community and I am glad that they are recognising the work we, as the police, are doing. The award also helps to uplift the winner’s moral and it has lifted my moral.”

When asked what he planned to do with the R3 000 he received for winning, Kriel said, “I would like to give back to those who work with me and recognise them, and I will do so by throwing them a potjiekos social get-together where we all can socialise and relax. I believe that you are only as good as your teammates make you.

“However, some of the money will go to my children’s education.”

Kriel added that the police, along with the community, needed to stand together in the fight against crime. “Having everybody join hands, we can definitely make South Africa great ,as well as a better community,” he said.

The police captain is always seen to be going beyond the call of duty to serve his community. “I am currently busy assisting with the upliftment of a complex in Bloubosrand as we are educating and raising awareness against the use of drugs and criminal activities.”

Chairperson of the Douglasdale Community Policing Forum, Jean Berdou, added that the ceremony went very well and the forum was delighted to recognise the good work that police officers do in keeping the community safe.