- Officially appointed as station commander in mid-October, his transfer from sector policing in the Mitchell’s Plain precinct, means he brings a hands-on approach to crime fighting.
- For just a little over a month, Capt Raymond Solomon has brought his knowledge, passion and skill to the station precinct of Strandfontein.
- His policing career started in 1998, following a transfer from the South African Air Force.
For just a little over a month, Capt Raymond Solomon has brought his knowledge, passion and skill to the station precinct of Strandfontein.
Officially appointed as station commander in mid-October, his transfer from sector policing in the Mitchell’s Plain precinct, means he brings a hands-on approach to crime fighting.
His policing career started in 1998, following a transfer from the South African Air Force.
“I was in the South African Airforce from 1993 and then departmentally, I came over to the South African Police Service in 1998. This was a career change I decided on. I enjoyed it for the few years, but that was a springboard for my career,” he says.
He started his career in policing at Manenberg, followed by a stint in Upington, Bellville South and then in 2011 transferred to Mitchell’s Plain, where he was most recently a sector commander.
“The main purpose is to serve the community. We must have commitment. The team that I have, they are committed. We don’t have like other stations, a big crime prevention team, but what we have here, we manage and address whatever crime there is. This is why we need to have partners,” he says.
This approach has seen integrated operations with other law enforcement and security agencies, as well as meetings with safety volunteers, community organisations and residents.
A standout in his career thus far is the impact he has made in the Mitchell’s Plain precinct, as one of the longest-standing sector officers.
“Wherever I present myself, I want to make a difference. Town Centre (sector) for me was challenging when I started there in 2019, and working in the Town Centre is one thing that stood out,” he says.
He encourages residents to be involved in fighting crime. With the main crime trend being property-related crimes, the community is urged to share information about where stolen property is going and where suspects are.
Another area of concern is domestic violence, which happens behind closed doors, an area where they cannot police. He urges victims to report these crimes.
Solomon is also an active sportsman and was named Sports Man of the Year at the 2023 Provincial Police awards in both the City of Cape Town district and province. This is for his involvement in martial arts.
“I want everyone in Strandfontein to do martial arts,” he jokes.
But, this is part of a project he would like to implement in his tenure.
“I want to go into the informal settlements and educate the youth, to break boundaries. These kids are limited in what they think, that it is only the camps, that this is all they have. I want to reach out to them,” he says.
His career in martial arts came later in life.
“I started very late. My son was four and we enrolled him, then as he progressed, I also progressed in the ranks,” he says.
He is currently a Third Dan black belt at Karate Satori, under the leadership of chief instructor Shihan Jeffrey Jackson. He is also a registered referee with Karate South Africa and holds the African Southern Region qualification in refereeing. Holding provincial and national colours, aside from officiating, he also competes as part of the SAPS Martial Arts team. The team does four codes, Judo, Full contact, semi-contact and kickboxing.
Solomon looks forward to bringing his strengths to making a lasting impact on policing in the precinct.
