Authorities raise awareness at the Blairgowrie Local Market

Linden police visited the Blairgowrie Local Market held by Blairgowrie Primary School to educate the community on the services that they offered and how the community could access these public services.

Also present were the Community Police Forum, Victim Support, Crime Prevention Awareness Forensic Services and gender-based violence units, and the highway patrol and their accident unit.

“Firstly, our services are aimed at attracting the youth to policing as a career… and at the same time it’s a good meet and greet opportunity to talk to the residents and see what are their problems so we can see how we can help and also get them to assist us as well,” said Linden Police Station Commander Colonel Shaid Abdool.

Additionally, he added it was about creating footprints from the toddler to the granny, and not targeting a specific age group in the community. Their presence at the market was aimed at enhancing their purpose, mission, vision and effectiveness in the community. “We want to create a safe stakeholder partnership with the police and the community where we can all coexist.”

Anita Mitchell of the Victim Support Unit said, “We’re here to create awareness firstly on what we do, why we do it and also do a little bit of fundraising as our unit runs solely on fundraising and donations, as we have no funding.”

The unit highlighted the services that it provided including counselling and assisting first responders in serious incidents where people had been traumatised.
Throughout the day, community members at the market engaged in fun activities and took interest in the weapons on display provided by the specialised police units.

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