The Crossmoor, Shallcross and Moorton community police forums came together on Heritage Day to host a crime awareness convoy.
In a joint statement issued on behalf of all three sectors, the convoy was a good initiative to get patrollers to come out in numbers as they used to before the unrest and Covid-19 lockdown. The forums said their emphasis is on the safety of residents as crime continues to rise in Chatsworth. “We have found crime, particularly petty theft in our areas were increasing at an alarming rate. We are also aware that law enforcement is spread thin across the ground so we need to assist as the neighbourhood watches of the area. With elections a month away, the focus has become service delivery across communities and all contesting candidates,” they said.
The sector said they cannot shift their focus and neglect the safety and security aspect of their area. “The unrest has been an eye-opener and we should not let our guard down. We also want to remind communities that whilst out on street patrols, we must carry out our duties within the ambits of the law. Ensure that your neighbourhood watch is aligned to your area CPF and all members on duty are accounted for by means of a patroller register. Set up your community WhatsApp groups and Zello channels and let us engage so that we have a coordinated mobilisation plan should another state of unrest occur.” The crimefighter said while serving on several community platforms, it has become evident that communities need to have formalised active structures in place that speak to different needs of the community like outreach, youth development platforms, civic and ratepayers’ associations. “These systems are all co-dependent in achieving a positive change in our communities and rely on active community participation. Be it safety and security or service delivery, we can only address these issues as a collective. We need to continuously educate and mobilise our communities and equip them with the tools to know how to complain and we have to complain for our needs to be met. We are here to assist anyone to facilitate these processes and activate your active citizens and community,” they said.
