THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SAPS, THE CPF AND THE COMMUNITY
The objective of this page is to clarify the workings of the Westville
Community Policing Forum (WCPF) as a mutually beneficial co-operation
between the Westville SAPS and the Westville Community. Links to
references that
detail some of the components of this document will provide more
detailed information. These links will appear throughout and may be visited at any
time. There will be links to articles that provide information as to the
benefits of working with the role players in the fight reduce crime.
An effort will be made to
enlighten the uninitiated and hopefully sway the skeptics as well as bring
back a positive attitude for the disillusioned. Explanations as to what
the duties and responsibilities of the SAPS and the CPF are, will be provided
for by
way of links to explanatory or more detailed documents. True stories
illustrating the need for greater co-operation will be added over time.
This is a living document and
as such will be edited, added to and partly erased as and when
required. The references will in the most part be on this website
and in the text be referred to as footnotes(1) at the bottom
of the page.
(Please
note that any underlined text on the site is a link to another page or
remote website. to go there simply click on the text. Underlining is
not deliberately used for emphasis any where on this site. To get back to where
you were use the Back or Previous button on your web browser)
Introduction
In accordance with the South African Constitution each South African
Police Services (SAPS) Police Station is obliged to establish its own
Community Policing Forum (CPF)(2).
The Station Commissioner is an ex-officio member of the CPF and the
Executive Committee is made of community members and must include a
Chairman, a Treasurer, a Secretary and minimum number of general committee
members.(3). The community members of the CPF are voluntary and
they work on various projects(4) that include the monitoring
of police performance, liaising with residents and business plus arranging
regular public meetings to receive feedback as well as disseminate crime
trends and provide advice on security.
The duties and responsibilities of the SAPS
At times we, the community, consider the behaviour of the SAPS to be
contrary to our understanding of their authority(5). This
possibly as a result of seeing too much TV and movies made in other
countries.
Apathy and Mistrust
In Westville we are fortunate to have better than average SAPS structure.
Due to the dedication to duty, work ethic and ability to motivate and
train staff our current Commissioner, Superintendent Dion Singh has done
us proud. Our biggest problem is the lack of community support in doing
what is required to make the job of the SAPS more effective. We are
not talking about getting involved in active duty or the like. We are
talking about the need to apply commonsense with respect to individual and
family security. To become "streetwise" as to the risks, to be
aware of and understand the threats to security.
Mistrust exists due to
possibly a poor response to a call or poor follow-up after an
incident. Often people generalise and quote an incident that
happened to a friend of a friend. Other times people feel their need for
assistance should take precedence(7) over other incidents in
the mix at the same time. If you do have any bad feelings you could
act positively by communicating with your local commissioner or local CPF.
Clear the air, you might be pleasantly surprised or at least have a better
understanding of the facts around the issue.
Police Reaction to
Incidents
The factors that effect the response time of the Westville SAPS in
responding to a call are due in part to the following:
Over and above the above brief
list, factors such as traffic congestion and more specifically lack of
street numbers(6), the time to respond will vary. Westville is
divided into three Policing Sectors to allow the logistical deployment of
their limited people and vehicle resources to those areas that are experiencing
high specific crime rates.
Is Westville becoming a
target for criminals because they play on our ignorance and apathy?
The numbers attending the CPF meetings are increasing in proportion to
the numbers of those who have traumatic crime related experiences and are
now actively doing something about the problem. They are
acquainting/educating themselves as to what can be done to reduce their
exposure to the risks.
Please consider this!
For every callout that could have been avoided, had the caller been responsible
and adhered to some basic security issues, there is one or more of police
resources unavailable to attend to other serious calls. It goes
deeper. Insurance claims made when the incident could have been
avoided push up premiums for everyone. Nothing happens in isolation.
Sector Policing
It is the responsibility of the Commissioner of each SAPS Police
station to determine hoe a given geographical are should be divided into
logical Policing Sectors. This enables the effective distribution of
resources such as personnel and vehicles. To understand the formation,
management and strategic benefits of Sector Policing it is
recommended that you view the background story provided by Constable
Stephen Clark(8)
(1) Not used
(2) The Constitution of
the Westville Community Policing Forum, its Policing Sectors
and the Legal structure of a CPF
(3)
A list of the current Westville CPF committee members and their
projects...see list
(4)
A list of the current Westville CPF Projects. . . see
list
(5) The laws and powers
applicable to the South African Police force
(6) The lack of street numbers is
a serious impediment to the response time by the police.
(7) A true story where one person's
need is, through ignorance, greater than that of the others.
(8) Sector Policing as an
effective policing strategy
