CCPO a blueprint for all of SA
Many residents who have not joined the CCPO believe they live in safe havens in gated complexes.
The Community Crime Prevention Organisation (CCPO) will prove to be a vital element in Toti’s fight against crime.
Chairman of CCPO, George Lithgow said it is not unusual for the organisation to attract attention from authorities and communities locally and abroad wanting an effective plan to fight crime.
“The CCPO since its inception has always had a good name and is the envy of many surrounding and distant communities.
We have had calls from areas in the Cape and Gauteng asking for assistance in establishing this model. I often have people from the Umhlanga Special Rating Area (SRA) area asking how we got the CCPO going.
The CCPO is a very unique set-up for South Africa as there are not many community crime prevention organisations like we have. It is totally voluntary and community-driven.
The SRAs that are performing well in Umhlanga and Florida Road in Durban don’t have the same strong back-up of security that we have.
Our unique model on security is one that everyone wants, as our response time to a crime crisis in our area is no more than an average of two to three minutes. The CCPO is a real success story,” he said.
“Our motto is that we want to make this the safest town in SA and we are well on our way to achieving this,” Lithgow said.
He said the CCPO is run on a tight community-funded budget. Only 5,100 of the area’s approximate 50,000 residents pay on average R150 a month.
The organisation also provides guarding to more than 30 businesses.
The aim was to work closely with law enforcement agencies and security companies by assisting with intelligence on criminal activities, staff and vehicle back-up at crime scenes and to deter criminals with a strong presence of visible policing.
when residents, business people, security companies and the police join forces to fight crime it is possible to make our neighbourhoods feel safe again,
“We have an operations team and manager who strategise and look at crime trends throughout our area. Our team of supervisors and guarding staff play a major part in our strategy to eradicate crime with all guards and the operations team in 24-hour radio communication,” he said.
Lithgow said many residents who have not joined the CCPO believe they live in safe havens in gated complexes. However, statistics showed that more crimes are committed outside these properties, making it necessary to secure all areas to deter criminals.
He also claimed that the new Toti SAP station commander, Col Bonginkosi Nkabinde and his team has played an important role together with Metro Police and local security companies. “It is this team work that we believe has created the blueprint for the crime prevention of South Africa,” he said.
In an effort to increase the number of response officers and vehicles, the CCPO partnered with Blue Security. Blue Security special projects manager, Stephen Wimborne welcomed the new committee and commended the CCPO for its strong commitment to the fight against crime.
“The Amanzimtoti CCPO is undoubtedly a huge local success story and a sound model for other communities to consider adopting to tackle the challenges of crime and grime. It shows that when residents, business people, security companies and the police join forces to fight crime with an attitude of zero tolerance, for even so-called petty offences, it is possible to turn the tide and to make our neighbourhoods feel safe again,” he said.
