New leaders ready to render service
SANDRINGHAM – The community police forum has had to pay money out of their own pockets to carry out projects.
The community of Sandringham in Sector 1 can expect a lot more action from their community police forum (CPF).
The newly elected chairperson Eitan Fine and his vice-chairperson Eddie Spagnolo shared some of the visions they have in store for their community.
Fine has been involved in community improvement activities for a number of years. In the past year, he said he has met new people and things have since progressed in a positive way.
In describing the CPF’s work he said all they do is voluntary, emphasising that they are not a security company, they are more than that. “We don’t just do patrols, but other projects which include feeding schemes. Everything we do has to be cleared with the police station commander and is done by the book.
“We go to places like the Organic Market informal settlement, with security companies and police, to hand out food. We did this quite a few times last year and we would do it again if people got more involved.
He continued, “We’ve been involved with animal safety issues, if there are reports of animal abuse, we refer people to relevant entities. We are also trying to create awareness to the public that they need to open cases if unfortunate incidences befall them. We’re trying to build up the victim empowerment section as well.”
Fine added that they also offer pamphlets with information on available shelters to homeless people. “However, not all are welcoming of that idea because they wouldn’t be allowed to do drugs at shelters. We encourage the public not to feed their addiction but rather come up with preventative measures to keep them off the streets.”
Spagnolo said it has probably been a year since he has been a patroller in Sector 1. They go out on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. “There is a lot that happens within the neighbourhood. There are hijacked homes, we even go as far as trying to find lost dogs. We drive around to make the public feel safer, there are a couple of hotspots that we go to and monitor,” Spagnolo explained.
“We don’t directly engage with the dangers out there as we are not allowed to. Should there be anything major, we communicate with the police patrollers directly and if we request help, they will go there and sort that out.”
He added that the most challenging thing is sponsorship because they pay for everything they do themselves and to perform at their best, they need more sponsorship as well as more recruits.
Fine concluded, “We ask for community support in terms of donations of time, expertise, funds or anything to help out.”
Details: Sandringham CPF 076 734 2014.
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