Montclair CPF revamps police station’s support centre for victims

HOPING to create a more comfortable space for victims of crime, the Montclair Community Policing Forum(CPF) have undertaken to revamp the Montclair police station.

Jackie Goncalves, the vice-chairperson of the CPF, said they were currently revamping the victim support centre’s wendy houses.

“There is this stigma around police stations, that they are ‘cold and uninviting’, which in turn is scary for victims. But, we wanted to change that perception. We initially started the revamp of the entire station back in March/April last year. So far we have painted and varnished most of the wendy houses as well as the public toilets. This is still a work in progress.

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“However, our main aim was to revamp the centre’s wendy houses this year. We wanted to make it more comfortable. The centre caters for victims, majority of which are women and children that have been victims of gender-based violence or sexual offences such as rape. In the wendy house for adults, we have put up curtains and set up a tea and coffee station. We wanted it to have a cozy and welcoming feel.

“We still need to paint the inside of the children’s wendy house and hang up some pictures. We want to make it seem not so scary, especially when they have already experienced some form of trauma. We also received a large donation of toys,” she said.

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Goncalves said she would also be assisting with the trauma-debriefing.

“An anonymous donor generously sponsored my training, and I am now able to assist with the trauma-debriefing. Being able to help others, especially children has always been close to my heart, and as their first point of contact when they come to report a crime, I want to bring comfort to them in a safe and inviting space. I have also made care-packs which will be given to the victims,” she said.

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Goncalves, said they relied heavily on donations for their projects.

“It is the generosity of the community and businesses which enables us to do these projects. We are thankful to Dr Yesh Govender for his contribution which helped us start the revamp of the centre. We are asking the community to assist in anyway that they can as we still have a lot to do,” she said.

Govender, of the Montclair Animal Hospital said, “I decided to get involved as I really appreciate the work that the CPF has been doing in our community. I also felt I was duty-bound as a member of the community to assist in which ever wat I could. The centre is something that is vital and I believe people should support the CPF’s project in what ever way that they can,” he said.

If you would like to contribute, contact Goncalves on 066 017 6371 or Shawn Smith (Montclair CPF chairperson) on 063 559 5009.

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