Various groups recently shared the roles they play in the fight against crime at the Civilian Crime Intelligence Network (CCIN) Convention held at the Military Museum in Saxonwold.
Benjamin Johnson, the CEO of ER24 said that they might be a private service, but they provide a service to the public and had contributed R17 million worth of medical services to those who couldn’t pay last year.
Johnson added that they were committed to assisting the CCIN as they have an expansive fleet everywhere and can be relied on regarding crime information as their members see a lot of things happening daily.
Brigadier Mark Joseph, Head of Gauteng Visible Policing said partnerships didn’t come easy and platforms such as CCIN provide the space to nurture the formed partnerships through clearly defined roles. Joseph emphasised the importance of letting the police officials handle crime scenes as that is their job.
Meshack Kethiso Thebe, Gauteng chairperson for the Faith-Based Organisations, said they don’t carry firearms but use ‘faith as bulletproof’.
“We notice trauma that police members go through and our work is to be behind the scenes to bring stability and calmness. We never say no when duty calls and we thrive to influence positive community work through our fantastic relationship with the police, security companies and emergency service officials,” Thebe said.
Chad Thomas, CEO of IRS Forensic Investigations said encouraging partnerships will bring a visible turnaround and should be supported.
Adding to that, Thokozani Jacob Masilela, executive chair for the Gauteng Community Policing Board said, “The partnerships we keep talking about need to bear fruit at some point. The province is flooded by school-safety issues and at some point CCIN must be attached to schools in fighting crime. Let’s involve youth and incorporate technology, and participate in community meetings.”
A vote of thanks was given by Bhavini Dalpat, CCIN administrative head.
During a meeting attended by the police, CPF and members of the public at Clan Doyle in Loumarina in March, it was revealed that although strides are being made against crime, drugs remain a major concern. Speaking at the meeting, Zaheer Gangat, the Randfontein CPF executive committee chairperson, said the fact that the war against crime is slowly being won can be attributed to the police, CPF and ordinary members of the community all joining hands.
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• Details: Civilian Crime Intelligence Network.
