‘CPFs bridge the gap between community and police’
MEC Faith Mazibuko has commissioned the urgent vetting of Community Policing Forums and is urging the groups to reclaim their spaces at local precincts.
On Saturday, 8 February, more than 1 000 newly elected Community Policing Forum (CPF) members were inducted at the Johannesburg City Hall.
The induction was used as a platform to outline specific priorities of the current Gauteng administration and provide innovative and effective ways on how to advance the role of CPFs, thereby enhancing pro-active public participation in the fight against crime.
Roodepoort has several Community Policing Forums, Neighbourhood Watches, and community members working to make sure their community is safe, clean, and respected. The registered groups play an integral role in the community by conducting blitzes, clean-ups, community outreaches, conducting patrols, and more. CPFs work on a broader spectrum than Neighbourhood Watches but they are equally important and beneficial to the areas they serve.
The Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko, expressed the importance of CPFs in her latest statement. She referred to how these groups bridge the gap between communities and their local police, which is extremely beneficial in identifying the challenges being faced by a community and determining possible solutions.
Mazibuko has commissioned for the vetting of CPFs to be conducted as soon as possible and the forums are asked to reclaim their space at local precincts. “The sooner the structures understand their role, the better they will be able to assist communities in the fight against crime,” she said.
The CPFs must work together with their precincts for the betterment of their communities. “We are starting afresh with Community Policing Forums by reviving the structures and taking them through the vetting process,” said Mazibuko.
She continued to say that the reason for the evaluations and assessments is to make sure that while everyone is taking on the fight against crime, no criminals are hiding among the ranks.
Mazibuko urged the Community Policing Forums to conduct themselves with professionalism and integrity; following laws and not using the CPF structure to further other agendas (such as launching a political career).
The MEC concluded her statement by encouraging organisations interested in joining CPFs, and participating in their activities, to register at their local police stations.
