According to Linden Community Police Forum (CPF) secretary Annelize Tichauer, it is important to remember that the CPF is a forum guided by the communities they serve.
You may find that in some areas, things work slightly differently from one sector to the next.
Tichauer said, “For instance in the Linden precinct, Sectors 1, 2 and 3 are identical as to how they function and are constituted. Sector 4 is slightly different as it contains Windsor East and Windsor west.
“Both the Windsor’s do not have a structure of organised residents’ associations and community organisations to form the backbone as in the other sectors, so things are done slightly differently.”
She added that it was very important to know that Sector 4 was currently in the process of establishing a new sub forum committee.
“So if you want to play your part, now is the time to step up,” she said.
Each sector has a CPF sub forum committee that is made up out of the police sector commander the various residents’ associations and community groupings and interested members of the public who are active in the area.
This forum meets on a monthly basis and it helps to give the sector commander an opportunity to touch base with the various members and discuss crime trends and problem areas.
The members can discuss incidents and plan and strategise ways to prevent and fight crime by putting together information briefs and projects targeting the problem areas.
“An example can be a drive to do pamphlet drops in the business areas to remind people to not leave valuables in their vehicles and what the correct and most important contact numbers are in the case of an emergency.”
ALSO READ: CPFs fight the fight against crime
The forum also provides a platform for ward councillors to attend as ad hoc members.
“They don’t have any voting rights and they are not at liberty to play any political games. They are there to provide info and assist the members of the forum to escalate unresolved issues.
“But in the same breath, this is a very valuable forum for the councillors to touch base with their residents’ associations and the police on matters that affect everyone. For instance, streetlights being out is not only a service delivery issue, but it has a high impact on crime visibility and also in many cases the safety of road users.”
As with all structures that function on a volunteer basis, there is fundraising. The bulk of the funds raised and donations received are used for specific projects and purposes.
“Our accounts are audited, and financials are available on request.”
Tichauer added that the bulk of the raised money was focused on keeping their victim support unit running.
The victim support line is manned at all times by one of the team members.
“We make sure there is always airtime and that the victim support members can assist victims fully.”
