THE Durban North/Umhlanga Community Police Forum (CPF) has lent a helping hand to members of the Durban North police station during the last few weeks due to the nationwide lockdown.
Members of the North Durban Victim Support Unit and Youth Desk, both entities of the CPF have volunteered their services to members of the public entering the Community Service Centre (CSC), where residents come to certify documents, open crime dockets and seek help.
Terry Goulding, vice chairman of the CPF, said the idea was to free up police officers stationed in the front office to continue with their duties.
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“If we weren’t helping out, the officers at the CSC would have to split their duties between screening residents coming in and helping them in their capacity as the SAPS. The chairman of the CPF, Haden Searles, and myself felt this would free officers up to continue with their duties. Currently we have employed a screening process, where a member of the CPF greets you at the entrance, asks you sanitise your hands, checks your temperature and asks you to fill out a questionnaire to help with contact tracing,” Goulding explained.
“The other positive in supporting residents and members of the public is we get a chance to interact with them and see what services they require. If it’s a general inquiry we are able to help them with it and stop them from joining a queue and wasting their time.”
Goulding said the reaction from residents has been positive.
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