Residents of Roodepoort Police Sector 1 gather to elect crime forum representatives

Community policing is about creating a multi-tiered approach to fighting crime.

Roodepoort Police Station is divided into four sectors, Sector 1 comprising Roodekrans, Wilro Park, Helderkruin and Kloofendal. Members of community groups in this area gathered at the NG Kerk on Azalea Avenue to elect their representatives to the crime forum on February 19. The crime forum will serve as an important intermediary between the sector director and the respective neighborhood watches.

Head of sector, Warrant Officer Johan Loots has spent the past five months compiling files on actors who wanted to be part of the sector’s citizen anti-crime force.
To qualify for crime forum positions, each applicant must be registered with the MMC’s Office for Community Safety, while the list of disqualifiers is much longer. No police officer, private security personnel, politician, under 18 or anyone with a criminal record would be eligible.

Warrant Officer Loots vetted 102 eligible residents through the MMC office, with the vetting process taking approximately one month per person. According to the rules of the Community Policing Forum, each sector must have a crime forum consisting of four posts. Votes were cast in a sealed box in the weeks leading up to Election Day, with the votes counted in front of the assembled electorate.

Karen Buys and François Groenewald were elected as secretary and treasurer, while Sebastian Logan was named vice-president. Andreas Oberlechtner, president of Roodekrans Neighborhood Watch and a Swiss army knife of the community, added the role of president to his list of responsibilities. The new committee will meet with their area manager once a week to discuss crime trends and possible solutions to protect residents.