Westville’s dedicated volunteers assist victims of crime
The team at SafetyNet, who offer their services 24 hours a day and free of charge, recently received a phone donation to make their work more efficient.
WHILE SafetyNet, a Westville Community Police Forum’s project made up of men and women who debrief victims of crime, has been operational for years, many residents are unaware of the services offered.
Speaking to the Highway Mail, Cheryl Robertson said they are still around, and for their work to be efficient, they use two phones – one for day shift and the other for night shift.
“We are made up of a dedicated group of Westville volunteers, both men and women, who have joined together to offer their services for the debriefing of victims, both at the scene of the crime and afterwards.
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“This service is available 24 hours a day and offered free of charge,” explained Robertson.
She said members will be called out by Westville SAPS and will respond in pairs to offer much-needed support for victims.
“We are always in need of new members who are needed to lighten the load for those already in place.”
Another volunteer Tracy Gombert said it is important for victims to get a debriefing as any crime committed against a person can be a cause of immediate deep distress and possible lasting trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder.
“Our members get training, and we use our airtime and petrol,” she said.
Recently, the group received a cellphone donation from Deutsche Schule Durban (DSD), and Gombert thanked the school and said this will make their work more efficient as the phone they had for the day shift was old and had to always be plugged into a charger.
Ellen Botha from the school said they wanted to give back to an organisation that assists and gives back to the community.
“SafetyNet is made up of volunteers who give up their time selflessly – they do not get paid,” she said.
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