With the South African Police Service (Saps) National Excellence Awards set to be held in Limpopo later in February, Ansar Salie, chair of the Wynberg Community Policing Forum (CPF), is not taking any chances – he recently acquired a black suit for the prestigious event and is ready and waiting.
On Saturday 14 January, the Wynberg CPF was named the winner in the category “CPF of the Year” at the Saps Western Cape Excellence Awards held at the Century City Conference Centre.
Salie says he only got notified at the last minute that it was a strictly black-tie event.
“I ran around all over the place, trying to hire a black suit, but no luck. In the end, I wore a grey jacket and blue trousers.”
Salie, who took up the role of chair nine months ago, says the win came as a complete surprise.
“We weren’t expecting it. In my eyes, there were much stronger nominees, for example from Mitchell’s Plain; they have been in the game much longer than I have and assisted in high-profile cases. But there I was, standing out like a sore thumb on stage when our name was called.”
For Shamila Nicholas, chair of Wynberg Cluster (CPF), it was less of a surprise and more well-deserved.
Nicholas, who chaired the Wynberg CPF prior to Salie, nominated him and his executive team for the award.
In her nomination letter, Nicholas wrote that she believed that it was important that the CPF’s efforts were recognised.
“For example, the 2021 year started off with a few challenges as we were informed that we were no longer going to receive any funding from the department of community safety, however, we continue to meet our goals and serve the community regardless.”
Speaking to People’s Post, Nicholas adds that all of the CPFs are doing great work. She says what made the Wynberg CPF stand out was their decision to remain active during the Covid-19 while adhering to lockdown restrictions.
“During Covid-19, they made the decision that their approach would be to continue to strive in reducing crime and to assist essential workers, including police, law enforcement, Traffic, Metro Police and the neighbourhood watches in the area,” she says.
The Wynberg CPF’s focus for 2021/2022 fell on four strategic areas: youth, gender-based violence, crime reduction (cameras) and police visibility.
These goals manifested in various projects held in cooperation with Wynberg police, safety and security partners and civic organisations.
One of the many successes was a Youth Day event held at the William Herbert Sports Ground on 16 June 2021 (Youth Day). About 70 children, most from the nearby informal settlement, Bonnytoun, were treated to a day of fun and sports. Sponsored by Engen and Adidas, the day was aimed at fostering a love of sport and instilling confidence in the children.
Another was a gender-based violence programme held at Bonnytoun on 7 December 2021. Women and children were educated on their rights, domestic violence and alcohol foetal syndrome.
And then there was also the launch of the Community In Blue (CIB) initiative in Wynberg. CIB comprises men and women patrollers who support and strengthen visible policing.
Starting off with six patrollers in Wynberg, the CIB membership has now grown to 34.
Among all the CPF’s achievements these past 24 months, the one that stands out the most is the 96% reduction in crime across the CPF’s five sectors – Lower Constantia, Upper Wynberg, Wynberg East, Kenilworth and Alphen.
Salie says, to a large degree, this was due to the excellent relationship that the CPF has with the police and their many other stakeholders.
He says the Wynberg Improvement District and Constantia Watch with all their cameras, also proved invaluable, as did the establishment of the Lower Kenilworth Improvement District (LKID) launched by former CPF executive member Rory Moore.
The installation of 44 cameras and two tactical vehicles in the Lower Kenilworth area resulted in crime incidents dropping from 25 to two per month.
Still reeling from the win, Salie says now is not the time to rest on their laurels.
“While some might see the certificate as just a piece of paper, what it symbolises is important to us. The eyes are on us, as high as provincial level, and every neighbourhood watch and CPF want to know how we managed to do it. We have already put in a 100%. Now we need to put in an extra 100% to prove we are worthy of this accolade.”
He says, this year they aim to focus on the Wynberg East sector with a string of community involvement events planned, including a picnic in Maynardville Park and a run-walk starting from the William Herbert Sports Ground.
He says details will be shared in due course.
“We want to engage the public more. We want them to share their problems and their ideas on how we can solve them. We also want to focus more on spiritual crime awareness, bring back the morals in our society, get values back in the homes. We have a hell of a year ahead of us, but we have a brilliant team and I am sure they will all do their part,” says Salie.
