There currently are 17 active forums in the South of Johannesburg, and the number is growing. This growth occured during the last two/three years, due to innovative and proactive groups taking the first step in making changes. Therein lies a lesson for everyone - we are as successful as the individuals who stand up to be counted. Allow us to be.
· Each of the forums was started by one person who wanted to make a difference, and encouraged others to join. In Glenvista's case, it literately was Nisha Singh who started knocking on doors and offering assistance.
· Each of these people, at their own cost, started an email network, understanding the importance of communication, making residents aware of what is happening in their area, thereby fighting crime: if we know what to look out for, we are prepared.
· They also started an SMS communication system, also at their own cost, sent when an issue is extremely important, or if info needs to be conveyed over a weekend.
· These 17 forums are now talking to each other on a regular basis, creating a communication network and thereby ensuring that we all know what is happening in the South. Should a crime occur in Mulbarton, each of us send out the information. Everyone looks out for vehicles, etc. Mondeor Police Station has become extremely dependent on this, and together we are making headway against crime.
To ensure that this initiative becomes more and more succesful, the aim is to encourage as many residents as possible to join. The more we stand together, the stronger we will be.
DONATIONS:
Forums do not ask for large donations, although some of us are building fences that obviously require funding. Instead, we appreciate whatever residents are willing to contribute. The concept of requesting a R20 donation (for one email address, and one sms number) is extremely minimal. It doesn't mean that the resident will receive one mail a month, or one sms a month. It is simply the registration of that mail address and sms number. Depending on what happens in a month, residents might receive 2/3 emails A DAY! We are not just crime forums, we also keep our communities up to date with any information they might need, i.e. the rates and taxes notifications, etc. Consider a database of 500 people, each with two email addresses and 2 cell numbers, with little or no financial support. Glenvista has thousands of residents, with +- 30 people who contribute. Suideroord South has 8 who are contributing. And so each forum are battling with the little bit that they have, yet none of us have given up, or are prepared to do so!
Apart from the actual costs, forum heads and their committees contribute hours and hours of their personal time, not for any personal gain or position, but to fight for a better and safer neighbourhood, for the chance to turn our suburbs into communities who know each other, and care! The results have been phenomenal. In Suideroord South the majority of residents now know their neighbours. We care and stand together when someone is in need, when someone dies. When an alert goes out, we all work together to find the criminals. Our children are now playing in the street, and we are working hard at establishing a park for them to play in safely. Residents have started taking walks... So each forum has their own success story to tell: Look out for the JUNE edition of the CPF Newsletter (servicing the Greater Mondeor Precinct - from Bassonia in the North to Jacksons Informal Settlement in the South), as we are planning to place some of these stories then.
GREATER MONDEOR COMMUNITY POLICING FORUM (covering Bassonia, Mulbarton, Glenanda, Glenvista, Liefde 'n Vrede, Aspen, Kibler Park, Kibler Heights, Alveda Park, Naturena, Meredale, Mondeor, Suideroord, Alan Manor, Eikenhof, Jacksons, Mayfield Park, etc.)
Another huge success is the strengthening of the main CPF. Forums within a certain area form part of a Sector, and there are 4 sectors in the Precinct. Glenvista, Glenanda, Mulbarton, Liefde 'n Vrede all fall in Sector 1. The Chairpersons of these forums attend a monthly Sector 1 meeting, attended by their Police Sector Manager, and give feedback about issues in their area. This goes then directly to Mondeor SAPS for attention. Once a month the chairperson of all four sectors meet at the Main CPF at Mondeor Police Station. The Station Commander, and his four Component Heads, form part of this committee. Feedback is given, and we now have an action schedule where all new issues are listed and followed up.
There have been huge successes achieved by Mondeor SAPS, with the support of the community. The new Station Commander, Snr Sup Bezuidenhout, has indicated that there will be more feedback from Mondeor regarding this, both in the press and in the CPF Newsletter. We, as forum heads, also send out feedback via email.