Selfless care and service
Sandton - Community members of the Sandton Victim Empowerment Programme work tirelessly to offer much-needed counselling to victims of crime.
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In the article, When united, communities can conquer crime, Week ending 29 April, it was discussed that the fight against crime was a community effort between law enforcers, the Community Police Forum (CPF) and community members.
One such example of communities coming together with the CPF is the Sandton Victim Empowerment Programme. The programme has been running for 16 years and assists those who suffer trauma after experiencing a crime.
The volunteers of the programme who spoke to Sandton Chronicle chose to remain anonymous to protect their confidentiality. One of the volunteers further explained that the victims referred to the volunteers using their first names only.
The actions of these volunteers are selfless and they go above and beyond the call of duty. A female volunteer said, “The programme consists of over 40 volunteers, many of whom work full-time and have family commitments.”
She added that each volunteer received trauma counselling training and committed a minimum of 16 hours a month by assisting victims of crime in the Sandton policing precinct, attending monthly meetings and supervision groups.
She said, “The assistance we offer takes shape in various forms such as face-to-face counselling at the police station, containment at crime scenes, and containment and counselling at business premises. We also have a specialised rape team who have been trained specifically on how to counsel survivors of rape.”
One of the victims who was assisted by the programme, Caroline Czube said, “My two teenage children and I would not have been able to cope with our sudden shock and deep trauma had this programme not assisted us with their most empathetic, professional and caring manner after our horrific attack outside our Sandton-based home in June 2013.
“My husband was shot and killed by unknown intruders. Due to their experience in emotionally helping victims of crime, they reached out as a real lifeline to ease our crippling pain.”
The volunteer concluded by saying that she believed it took a very special type of person to be able to help those who face such traumatic experiences.
Details: admin@sandtoncpf.co.za
Read more:
Sandton Community Police Forum event updates
Sandton Police Station in need of Youth Desk volunteers
Police tips on securing your home