Michael Jacobs, deputy chairperson of the Mitchell’s Plain United Residents’ Association, is the new chairperson of the Lentegeur Community Police Forum.
Mr Jacobs, along with a new executive committee, was voted in at the Lentegeur CPF’s annual general meeting, at the Lentegeur police station on Tuesday November 26.
The new committee includes Cassiem Gamiet (deputy chairperson), Jasmine Holtman (secretary), Kaamillah Ismail (assistant secretary), Anne Africa (treasurer), Byron de Villiers (project coordinator), Charles Julies (public relations officer), and additional members Fatiema Cloete and Glenville Jacobs.
Community leaders, Lentegeur police chief Colonel Umavathie Ramesh and Mitchell’s Plain policing sub-district CPF chairperson Justin Kumlehn were among those at the meeting.
Justin Lottering, deputy director of the Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety, chaired the meeting.
Colonel Ramesh presented the Lentegeur police station’s report while outgoing CPF chairperson Byron de Villiers presented the annual CPF report.
Mr Jacobs thanked Mr Lottering, Mr Kumlehn, the Lentegeur CPF member organisations, Lentegeur police visible policing commander Lieutenant Colonel Harry Brickles, Colonel Ramesh and the newly elected CPF committee for their support.
“We are going to work as a team because at the end of the day our communities are going down. We cannot have any conflict and infighting. We will have to put our hands together and work together to ensure we become a safer community.
“I pledge to work with the station commander. If there are any issues, we will resolve them internally. There is a great task at hand to work closely to establish sub-forums and have more outreach programmes,” he said.
Thanking the outgoing CPF committee, Mr Jacobs said their experience was vital to guide the newly-elected committee. He added that representatives from CPF member organisations who were not elected would also be involved in the forum’s programmes to ensure inclusion and unity.
“We will leave no one behind,” he said.
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