LISTENING first, being a good communicator and having a deep passion are Bellair SAPS ‘s new station commander, Lt- Col Raj Ramchunder’s traits that he said makes him a good leader.
Ramchunder grew up in Chatsworth and has been in the SAPS for 35 years.
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He said being a policeman was his first career choice.
“Back then it wasn’t easy to join the police service because of the laws of that time.”
Despite those challenges Ramchunder has been in the command position since 1991 in various departments and has been station commander of Chatsworth and Lamontville SAPS.
“Being a station commander means you have to be a people’s person and be able to serve your staff and the community,” he said.
He strongly believes that officers must be relatable to the community.
“People must not see you as only a police officer; they must see you as a person first.”
According to Ramchunder there should be no restrictions between the SAPS and the general public. People should not fear the police but be able to seek refuge at the police station.
Ramchunder approaches life with a lot of passion. “I give 100 per cent in everything that I do. I am a good communicator and I believe you have to listen first before you speak.
He added that if you show compassion in your command, you get a lot from the people you are leading and you solve many issues along the way.
“Compassion doesn’t compromise the strategic approach of being a station commander but rather enhances it,” he said.
He said policing is not only about fighting crime, it is also about engaging with the people.
“When I was at the CPF meeting recently I saw a lot of people are concerned about their community.”
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Moving forward, Bellair SAPS will do regular, visible policing operations with multi-disciplinary operations that will help address aspects of crime from a different approach.
“We will focus on the illegal selling of drugs and alcohol. We want to make the community feel safe in the environment they come from,” Ramchunder said.
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