Police training workshop a success
Roodepoort police conduct another workshop for community patrollers.
The Roodepoort police conducted another fun and informative workshop session for local community patrollers on Saturday, July 27, at the Roodekrans Neighbourhood Watch’s operations room.
The workshop consisted of three staged emergency scenarios, and patrollers had to react to those scenes using the correct procedures and their overall skills and knowledge.
According to the Roodepoort Sector 1 manager, Warrant Officer Johan Loots, the workshop is aimed at preparing patrollers for any kind of emergency so that they can know the do’s and don’ts when they respond to emergencies.
“We had 32 members in the workshop and 20 volunteers who came to assist us. What we are trying to do here is prepare the patrollers and make them understand what is expected from them since they are often the first ones to respond to emergencies.”
The first scene consisted of a staged accident between three vehicles, with one driver under the influence of alcohol and drugs, a pregnant woman with head injuries, and a driver who ran away after trying to buy drugs.
Patrollers are then called out using a radio, and they have to respond by observing the overall scene, calling relevant officers, and ensuring there are no third parties or bystanders that enter the crime scene.
The second scenario was a staged domestic violence scene at a nearby public park, and the patrollers had to respond to the reported disturbance between a man and two women who started fighting over him. He ended up shooting one woman and called it self-defence.
The tricky part is that each scene presented an unforeseen circumstance that the patrollers had to manage and intervene.
The last scene was a business robbery, and it involved a raped woman with two suspects and a business owner. Patrollers were tasked with assessing the safety of entering a business building after a suspect left her bakkie and ran away, while another gunman opened fire and fled.
According to Loots, the workshop was a resounding success, and each patroller group received constructive feedback helping them be better prepared for the next training session.
Loots thanked all the security companies for their assistance throughout this workshop.
