Residents and police strengthen relationship
NORTH RIDING – Coffee with a cop aims to help bridge the gap between communities and police.
Douglasdale police and local security and safety stakeholders converged at the Bel Air Shopping Centre in North Riding to meet with residents and formulate a relationship.
The Coffee with a Cop event was organised by Itlholemeleng Batho Rehabilitation Centre non-profit organisation together with the police. “We are here to engage with the community and build a working relationship and to understand the needs of the community,” said Douglasdale Police Station Commander Brigadier Veeshani Arikum.
During the day on March 11, police provided services such as certification of documents and affidavits. Some of the departments involved in the initiative included JMPD, Johannesburg Group Forensics and Investigation Services, local private security companies, community Policing Forums and neighbourhood watches.
“Residents understand who we are and it helps reduce the number of complaints. It helps people to know the channels that need to be followed when dealing with police and other stakeholders,” Arikum said.
Douglasdale CPF Sector 1 chairperson Franzois Oosthuizen said the initiative helps residents and police to fight crime together. “We don’t want crime in our area. Events like this build a bigger trust between police, residents and CPFs,” he said.
Ward 134 councillor Devon Steenkamp added that it was lovely to see lots of partnerships between various entities to bring awareness to public safety.
Project coordinator from the rehabilitation centre Jamal Musiitwa said the essence of the event was to bridge the gap between the community and police over a cup of coffee. “We meet to talk about how we can help each other to fight against crime,” he said.
