Linden Community Police Forum secretary Annelize Tichauer has given a detailed breakdown to the Randburg Sun explaining the purpose the Linden CPF aims to fulfil.
She said that the CPF is the link between the police and the community. It gives not only the police a voice and insight into matters that affect the communities they serve directly, but it also gives the community a voice when it comes to matters of policing.
The CPF is A-political, there are many other forums for this kind of play, but this is not it.
They are a group of volunteers that get no money for the time they invest in their community.
“There is no glamour, so no chance you are going to become a socialite here. This is a case of hardcore giving back,” she said.
The CPF executive committee and its linked sub-forums are made up out of several components:
- A group of volunteers who work or live in the Linden precinct
- Linden police station management
- A member of the MEC’s office for oversight purposes (no voting rights)
- Ad-hoc members join on the invitation and have no voting rights, like the Metro police.
At Linden, the station has an executive committee of 12 members, with four representatives from each sector to make representation and voting fair.
“We meet monthly with station management to look at any problems, crime trends and any other issues that need attention,” she said.
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The main CPF body just like the sector forums all have the same structure and are regulated and governed by the same rules. Each of the forums, as well as the main CPF Exco, has to have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and secretary that is elected from the members of that specific forum and by the members on it.
Tichauer added, “It is important to remember that this is a legal body that is governed by legislation, so we have to follow strict guidelines and are held to a code of conduct. A step in the wrong direction and you may find yourself on the wrong side of the law before you blink.”
She added that the CPF is always on the lookout for concerned like-minded citizens to join them.
Details: info@lindenpolice.co.za; admin@lindenpolice.co.za; or call 065 956 8738.
