EDITOR – Allow me in my personal capacity to comment on recent comments made regarding current Community Crime Prevention Organisation (CCPO) chairman George Lithgow in recent editions of the South Coast Sun.
For the record, George Lithgow was approached by a group of us who were concerned that three members of the former committee had relocated and were residing in Hillcrest and Salt Rock, and former chairman Richard Atkins was not allowed to stand as chairman for another term, this being stipulated in the CCPO’s constitution.
George was pursued for almost three weeks before he finally relented and agreed to assist us, and made himself available for the post. After the first AGM was postponed for technical reasons George was voted in as an interim chairman to assist with a smooth takeover. At the following AGM, George was once again voted on by CCPO members who attended the AGM.
We needed a chairman who knew what running an organisation like CCPO entailed and to us, he fitted that part perfectly as he had been there before and worn the proverbial T-shirt. His expertise and management skills cannot be faulted, and the fact that he is meeting with the big boys from SAPS and Metro is something that was initiated at a CCPO committee meeting – all he did was follow through on his mandate.
We can never succeed in fighting crime successfully without the help of SAPS and Metro, hence his efforts to get help from as high up as he possibly can. This also assists the local police and Metro Police members, as they themselves always strive to get enough resources to do the job properly.
Lastly I would like to assure people that we will never allow the CCPO to become a political soccer ball. Politics as such is not permitted in the organisation and its enshrined in the CCPO constitution. We are here to fight crime and we intend doing just that with George at the helm.
Furthermore, to address the rumours that committee members are paid, I want to assure the community that no committee member has ever received a cent. The work, dedication, cost we endure are for our own pockets, it is all done on a ‘no pay’ and entirely voluntary basis.
GEORGE SNODEY
