In honour of September being National Police Safety Month, Mitchell’s Plain police are strengthening their partnerships with the community.
During a programme at the Eastridge police station on Tuesday September 3 they encouraged members of the walking bus and neighbourhood watches to actively participate in keeping their communities safe.
This came less than a day before two law enforcement officers were shot dead while protecting workers at a construction project in Philippi on Wednesday September 4 and less than a week before an off-duty police officer was stabbed to death in what appears to be a robbery
in Kleinvlei on Sunday September 15.
This month has been designated to raise awareness on the need for active partnerships between the police and the public.
Mitchell’s Plain police station’s Women’s Network chairperson, Lieutenant Colonel Cleo Arnoldus, and the station’s operation support commander, said it was important to honour the month as the number of police officers becoming victims of crime was increasing.
She said partnerships between the police and the public should be widely supported and strengthened by all citizens and communities.
“It is in active police-public partnerships that stability and order can be restored.”
Lieutenant Colonel Arnoldus said the police cannot function alone, instead they need the daily cooperation and continuous assistance from the community to deal decisively with crime.
“Our dedicated officers are fully aware of the risks they take on a daily basis. But their patriotism and love for their country, its citizens and communities is far bigger than any fear they may harbour,” she said.
She also thanked a group of women who keep the station clean, orderly and tidy.
“We appreciate all they do,” she said.
“It is encouraging that practical measures like the walking bus and neighborhood watches are very active in assisting SAPS Mitchell’s Plain,” she said.
