Newly appointed Chatsworth SAPS station commander, Brigadier Ruth De Villiers, 53, said she is truly honoured to be appointed as the first female station commander since its opening in 1963. She said in her capacity as a station commander, she will address work related issues, if any, in a systematic consultative manner.
Brig De Villiers who holds a National Diploma in Policing and a B-Tech degree will take her post on 15 March. She is married to a police officer and they have two beautiful daughters. “During the early years of my life, I studied subjects that would direct my path towards a medical profession. “However, my heart led me to my calling as a police officer. As a young woman, I sought the advice of my parents in respect of joining the South African Police Service. “Much to my delight, I received the blessing from my parents to serve as a police officer to this beautiful country of South Africa. My first step into this beautiful journey as a police officer was with my father in 1985. “Growing up in the area of the Bluff enabled my father and I to visit the Brighton Beach Police station where the Station Commander Lieutenant Schmidt graced us. It was then that I gained wisdom on the requirements to be a successful applicant in the South African Police Service. “Whilst at school, I geared up physically and mentally to make my dream come true. After completing matric, I enlisted in the South African Police Service. “I was a successful candidate. I remember the joy in my parent’s eyes when I was sworn in as a member of the South African Police Service. I went on to serve as a Student Constable at Brighton Beach SAPS. Thereafter I completed my basic police training at the Pretoria Training College. “I was fortunate enough to return as a Constable at the Brighton Beach Police Station where I was able to give back to the community of my childhood. A week after returning to my hometown, I celebrated my 18th birthday,” she said.
Brig De Villiers became a commissioned officer in the SAPS in 1992 where she attained the rank of a Lieutenant. She was transferred to the Durban SAPS South District Office where she was later promoted to the rank of Captain. “I became a superintendent in 1999 whilst stationed at Amanzimtoti. In 2007, I was promoted to the rank of Colonel where I performed duties as the Visible Policing Commander at Chatsworth SAPS. I have worked at Sydenham Police Station where I was appointed as the Station Commander. On 1 March 2022, I was appointed to the rank of Brigadier and Station Commander at the Chatsworth SAPS,” she said. She added that one of her biggest achievements was winning the Jumpmet Station Management award, which is an award presented by the SAPS National Office. She won the Top Student award Nationally. She said she lives by the quote of the late president, Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most wonderful weapon which you can use to change the world.” She also stated that she believes for police to win the fight against crime, police need to engage with the relevant stakeholders most importantly the Chatsworth Community Policing Forum, Victim Friendly Facility, government spheres, Business Against Crimes, faith based organisations, security companies and NGOs.
“It is important for the people of Chatsworth to know that there is no single root cause of crime. There are social ills that are contributors to crime in the precinct. Therefore, a proactive approach will be to engage in stakeholder meetings with the aim of a shared responsibility towards addressing crime in the precinct. Awareness campaigns, educational workshops as well as enhancing the concept of community policing and sector policing will align itself with community projects. Chatsworth was always a centre of service excellence. My goal for Chatsworth SAPS is to make it once again a centre of service excellence both internally but more importantly externally, as this will go a long way to enhance and strengthen Community Police Relations,” said Brig De Villiers. She said that addressing serious and violent crimes such as murder, house robberies, carjacking and business robberies will be the focus. “We will concentrate on a multi- disciplinary, partnership approach to policing with the focus on zero tolerance to crime. The station will also intensify our efforts to reducing the crimes committed against women and children (rape, domestic violence). The Ministerial 6 point plan should serve as a guideline to first responders and investigators dealing with cases of crimes against women and children. “It is the responsibility of every member to be vigilant and to work tirelessly to aggressively eradicate all crimes against women and children. I want to assure victims that crimes against vulnerable groups is my top priority.
“ The existence of the Family Violence, Sexual Offences and Child Protection Unit at the station will ensure that cases are prioritised where survivors of such cruel acts are assisted immediately through the establishment of the Victim Friendly Facilities at the station. The abuse of narcotics also generates higher levels of criminality and violence. Police will gather adequate crime information in respect of illicit drug activities, not only for effective investigation and prosecution but for dealing with organised crime syndicates,” she said. Brig De Villiers said she also enjoys cooking and gardening. “Although I no longer have time to play tennis, I won gold at the SAPS National Police Tennis Championship whilst serving as a member at the Chatsworth SAPS. It was an honour to win this medal whilst competing against nine provinces. I am an avid cyclist, that is where my passion lies. I have completed over ten Cape Town Cycle Tours, have ridden a few Amashovas and Tour of Durban. I also completed my first Sprint distance Triathlon at the age of 52. I generally train at 04:30am daily. When duty calls I have to reschedule as per my program especially after work. I believe in an active lifestyle, as activity reduces health issues and alleviates stress. These activities make me feel happy and energised,” she concluded.
