Join the Kabega CPF and help keep your area safe
Daryn Wood
THE Kabega Community Policing Forum, which covers the largest area of all community policing forums in Nelson Mandela Bay, is working in a joint effort with police to keep the streets of the Western suburbs safe.
"We are here to improve the service delivery of the police,” said Kabega CPF chairman Peter Rich.
He said their main function was to be the liaison between the community and the police.
The forum covers 480m² and is divided into four sectors.
Rich said the forum was unique in that it was urban as well as rural.
"In addition to the general crime most areas experience, there are also reports of stock thefts and farm attacks.
"There are not enough police to cover the whole city. We inform them of things they do not see.”
He said the forum covered more ground as the police did not have the manpower.
"The community have the perception that they are not doing their jobs. They do have their problems, but generally there are a lot of good policemen doing good work and who are motivated,” said Rich.
Rich encouraged the community to get involved in any way they could.
"The more eyes and ears out there, the better. We need to know what is happening.” He said it was all about communication and looking out for each other.
But the difficulty is getting the community involved. Rich said there were 65000 people in the area but only 0,1% were donating their time. There were many things to do – it was not just about being on the neighbourhood watch.
The CPF has about 200 volunteers who are not all required to do patrols although that is the main focus.
"Those volunteers who are not able to patrol can use their expertise for some of the community-based projects like drug talks.
"We need people to report anything they see, no matter how small.”
Rich said the forum would also benefit greatly from financial support training and awareness campaigns. For more information on how to get involved, e-mail Peter at cpfkabega@gmail.com.