Why the need for a CPF
(written by Alain Latham- Vice-chairman Berea CPF Sectror 3)

Those who have served time on the CPF will agree with me when I say "It is the only way forward for us a s a community in the fight against crime...  there is no other option."

Once you accept this, then you can begin to adopt a more constructive and positive approach.  I'm at the point where I realise I can never "leave" the Berea CPF.  I can take a "backseat" now and again, but as a resident of The Berea, who's family is vulnerable to an evil, criminal act at any time, it is simply now part of my everyday existence.

Besides all of this, it is actually our constitutional obligation.  The KZN Department of Safety and Security's White Paper on Safety and Security states that "it is the shared responsibility of The Police and The Community to ensure a safe and secure environment for all and to establish a shared and equal partnership with Police".

Due to the current evolution of our socio-political environment, which includes factors such as persistent unemployment, continued poverty, a flawed and overburdened court system, overcrowded prisons, a need for a new approach to policing was needed.

There simply was too much going on to quickly for The Police, in the traditional sense, to keep up with.  Suspects caught days earlier are out on bail and back on the streets to ply their trade.  Sentencing rates were, and still are, way below par.  

The age of self-policing has dawned... self-policing in partnership with The Police, where safety issues can be jointly determined.  Hence the need for a Community Policing Forum (CPF) with a structured leadership and the mass support of it's community.

There is no other way forward and there is no going back.  I urge you all to get in touch with your Street Captain and ask "how" you can assist by improving the security in "your patch".  If we all take care of our own patches, we CAN drive crime out of our communities.

Click here for more information.  CPF Fails Elderly Resident.