Angels in disguise

Linden Police Station’s Victim Support Unit are working around the clock to assist the residents of 29 suburbs and 328 streets who need help during and after crimes.

The group is divided into the victim support group and the trauma counselling group. These 20 ladies are not employed by the police station but volunteer their time and resources to help people going through shock and trauma due to crime, said Bev Boswell, coordinator of the Victim Support Unit.

When a crime is committed two ladies of the unit are sent to the crime scene. They do things that victims who are in shock would not have the energy to do after a crime had occurred. They help cancel bank cards, call family members and help victims clean up. They even go as far as making a cup of tea for the victims. “One of our ladies actually helped a victim clean up the blood at a crime scene in the victim’s home,” said Boswell.

These ladies are on call 24 hours a day for any crime scenes that they might be called to. They attend to all kinds of crimes. It includes crimes at schools, car accidents, and murders.

The victim support unit is always looking for volunteers to come and give a hand. “Volunteers are trained to be counsellors before they can start with the unit,” said Boswell. The unit’s response time is 15 minutes and they figure it would be easier for volunteers to live in the Linden or surrounding areas. The ladies would also like to have more people in the unit that speak different African languages to communicate better with victims that do not speak English.

People who want to help the unit but do not have time on their hands can donate some things, such as toys for the victims, blankets, a laptop and 3G card for admin and a heater for their victims since winter is almost upon us.

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