Why Should YOU Care About Community Safety?

There are three main role players in Community Safety:

1. The Department of Community Safety – which plays a non-operational, supervisory, and social role in public safety and is responsible for Policy, Funding and Oversight. Unlike the South African Police Service (SAPS) or Metro Police, which are responsible for direct law enforcement, arrests, and criminal investigations, the Department of Community Safety focuses on civilian oversight, crime prevention, traffic management, and community mobilization.
2. Community Policing Forums (CPFs) – Statutory bodies established in terms of the South African Police Service (SAPS) Act (Act 68 of 1995). Every SAPS precinct is legally required to have a functional CPF. The core focus of a CPF is policing and operational partnerships which serves as a formal platform for residents to raise localized policing concerns, report police inefficiency, and build trust.
3. Community Safety Forums (CSFs) address the root causes of crime rather than just law enforcement. Coordinates non-policing interventions that reduce crime (e.g., street lighting, clearing overgrown bushes, fixing potholes, securing abandoned buildings). Oversees programs targeting youth-at-risk, substance abuse, victim empowerment, and school safety.

CPFs and SCFs meet monthly with station management to feedback from the community and to feedback to the community.

Every year the Department of Community Safety will hold an Imbizo with the Community and all stakeholders as part of their oversight duties.

Last night was the turn of the Mount Road Cluster – which has 5 SCF’s representing the different suburbs under their purview.

Last night’s Policing Accountability Community Engagement at Greenacres under the Eastern Cape Department of Community Safety was poorly attended.

Present were officials from Community Safety, SAPS, Metro Police, Correctional Services, CPF Exco and Ward Councillors.

The GOOD:

Mount Road Police Station came in for praise from community members DESPITE the operational challenges that all SAPS stations experience.

Correctional Services surprised everyone by saying that they have a programme in place and will send people convicted of House Arrest to assist in cleaning and beautifying Mount Road Police Station.

The crime in the Mount Road area is mainly petty and theft out of and of vehicles.

The Brigadier gave us some pretty detailed stats about where and when crime occurs – useful info to have when chatting around the braai or dinner table.

A good suggestion from the floor around scrap dealers was that in the UK all scrap dealers are NOT allowed to have cash on premises or to pay out cash for scrap. That way scrap dealers are forced into KNOWING their clients and a paper trail exists for the police to investigate.

Community Safety collected anonymous feedback data around crime and safety and perceptions in our area from each person present.

The BAD:

Extremely poor attendance – yes, this is a legacy problem and it was pointed out to SAPS that they have a crisis of faith issue mainly due to their not being as visible as Armed Response vehicles are.

No-one representing the NPA was present.

Where we can HELP:

The various Community Safety structures (CPF and SCF) are put in place to liase and feedback intelligence or suggestions to the SAPS.

Community Safety have a brief to smooth the process whenever one of the pillars ‘drops the ball’ – SAPS, Metro Police, Fire and Emergency, Justice and Prisons are all under the Community Safety microscope.

Essentially the various CPF’s and SCF’s are under the umbrella of Community Safety BUT liase more closely with SAPS on a daily basis.

Please report every crime – petty or not.

If you have a beef then chat to your CPF – the chairman’s number is on the board as you enter the Mount Road Charge Station.

We are looking at an online crime reporting facility to assist in intelligence gathering.

Please NOTE:

10111 is the number to report crime in progress to.

Do not phone 10111 for any other query – the example used last night was a 30 minute phone call from the owner of a truck who wanted the SAPS to go and wake one of their drivers, overnighting at a Truck Inn, up and tell them to get on with their work of driving.

I also know from the days of land lines that the operators were subjected to a lot of abuse as 10111 was a free number from a ticky box used by bored children who wanted to practise swearing at adults or authority.

At the end of the day – it is our taxes that pay the SAPS and, just like when we receive bad service from a private provider, we have (at least) the right to point out their failings and ask for it to be rectified.

Remember – in any business accountants/management look at where the problems are and allocate resources to that problem. If we do not report and share our problems then resources will be used elsewhere.