FUNCTIONALITY OF COMMUNITY POLICING FORUMS IN CRIME PREVENTION IN THE FREE STATE

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FUNCTIONALITY OF COMMUNITY POLICING FORUMS IN
CRIME PREVENTION IN THE FREE STATE

• 28 AUGUST 2008

PRESENTED BY PROVINCIAL COMMISSIONER T A
MASHIGO FREE STATE PROVINCE
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CONTENT

• Introduction
• Representivity in Community Policing Forums
• Role of Community Policing Forums
• Availability of Community Policing Forums
• Functioning of Community Policing Forums
• Involvement in Crime Prevention
• Projects involving Community Policing Forums
• Way forward

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INTRODUCTION

• Community Policing Forums (CPFs) was made part
  of the South African Police Service (SAPS)
  through legislation
• SAPS Act 68 of 1995 Chapter 7
• White Paper on Safety and Security Section V
• Department of Safety and Security Policy
  Framework on Community Policing
• 52nd ANC Conference, Polokwane resolved that
• Community policing is the best policing model
• Police stations becomes centres of mass
  mobilisation against crime
• ANC/ Alliance to encourage participation by its
  members and community in CPF.

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REPRESENTIVITY IN COMMUNITY POLICING FORUMS

• Representatives from the following groups should
  be represented in CPFs
• Youth groups
• Political groups
• Taxi Associations
• Business Associations
• Farmers Associations
• Churches
• Sport clubs
• Schools
• Members of community not part of specific
  organisations
• SAPS Management
• Specialised Units of SAPS

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ROLE OF COMMUNITY POLICING FORUM

• Establish and maintain a partnership between the
  community and the Service
• Promote communication between the Service and the
  community
• Promote co-operation between the Service and the
  community in fulfilling the needs of the
  community regarding policing
• Improve the rendering of police services to the
  community at National, Provincial and local
  levels
• Improve transparency in the Service and
  accountability of the Service to the community
• Promote joint problem identification and
  problem-solving by the Service and the community.

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AVAILABILITY OF COMMUNITY POLICING FORUMS

• There are 109 police stations within the Free
  State Province.
• All police stations in the province have
  established Community Policing Forums (CPFs).
• All CPFs are functioning at police stations.

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AVAILABILITY OF COMMUNITY POLICING FORUMS

• Meetings are conducted regularly at station,
  cluster and provincial level.
• Station Management attend CPF meetings, not only
  Community Policing Official.
• Provincial Social Crime Prevention also attend
  station and cluster CPF meetings.
• Minutes of meetings are forwarded to Provincial
  Crime Prevention.

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FUNCTIONING OF COMMUNITY POLICING FORUMS

• CPFs are the main driver to conduct or
  co-ordinate imbizos/ community meetings with
  SAPS
• Crime information/ trends are shared with
  community.
• CPFs assist with encouraging community to
  provide information to SAPS.

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INVOLVEMENT IN CRIME PREVENTION

• CPF Chairpersons attend special SCCF meetings at
  police stations.
• This is to assist with identifying hot-spot areas
  and communicating it to community.
• CPF involved in projects in station area to
  target priority crimes.
• CPF part of community patrols within community.

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INVOLVEMENT IN CRIME PREVENTION

• CPF involved in awareness campaigns informing
  community of their rights.
• Pro-active partnerships are established at police
  stations to deal with contact and property
  crimes.
• A total of 441 volunteers from CPF structures
  assist with Victim Empowerment.

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PROJECTS INVOLVING COMMUNITY POLICING FORUMS

• CPF involved in various projects within province.
• Examples of projects are
• Children living in Poverty Makwane
• Children identified.
• Provided food, clothing, blankets
• Arrange activities for children to be kept busy.
• Project assist in preventing children from
  committing crime.
• Also assist in getting crime information from
  street children.

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PROJECTS INVOLVING COMMUNITY POLICING FORUMS

• Examples of projects
• Vegetable garden Koppies
• A poverty alleviation project identified by CPF
  and SAPS to assist community.
• Community assisted in growing vegetables on
  identified land.
• Social development, Agriculture and Municipality
  also involved in project.

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PROJECTS INVOLVING COMMUNITY POLICING FORUMS

• Example of projects
• Drugs free youth and safer schools Thabong
• Awareness campaigns conducted at schools
  regarding drugs.
• School identified where gangsterism was rife.
• Various role players were identified and involved
  in project.
• Workshops at school conducted with children.
• Assisted in decrease in incidents of gangsterism.

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PROJECTS INVOLVING COMMUNITY POLICING FORUMS

• Example of projects
• Community patrollers - Phuthaditjhaba
• CPF with taxi association and business involved.
• Purchased windbreakers and cellphones for use by
  patrollers

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PROJECTS INVOLVING COMMUNITY POLICING FORUMS

• CPFs also involved in national projects like
• Youth Month
• Womens Month
• Sixteen days of activism
• National Police Day
• Community Safety Month

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WAY FORWARD

• During recent imbizos on Business Unusual at
  police stations in Free State the following
  emerged
• Communities indicated that they will become more
  involved in crime prevention.
• CPF will coordinate more interaction between SAPS
  and community.
• CPF indicated that they would enhance their role
  as link between SAPS and community.

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THANK YOU