After a two year delay the Community in Blue project finally launched in the Grassy Park precinct on Saturday 2 July.
Community in Blue, a programme aimed at assisting police with fighting crime in the area, will see applicants trained as peace officers with the rights to search, seize and make arrests.
In an interview with the People’s Post at the launch, Grassy Park Police Station commander Col Dawood Laing said around 43 recruits signed up for the initiative.
“The community in blue project started prior to Covid in March 2020. We asked the broader community, not only neighbourhood watch members (to apply).
“This project is very important, people who form part of the community in blue will become peace officers with the powers to arrest, seize as well as to search. It is very essential for patrollers on the ground. Around 43 community members has been approved of 65 that signed up.”
Residents who apply to be part of the programme go through a screening process and then three months training once accepted into the programme.
“Currently we started with the screening of every individual of the neighbourhood watch and there was one additional member that was screened and selected who is part of the group being launched today.”
The community in blue works on a volunteer basis, much like a neighbourhood watch but that is where the similarities end.
“Of the 65 people who applied 22 was disqualified because they either had a criminal record or family members who are part of gangs who don’t have a good standing in the community.
“We don’t exclude those people from contributing to other organisations but by giving a person the right to search and seize and giving that person the title of peace officer, that person must be of a good standing in the community.”
Community in blue will be rolled out in other areas where it is needed.
“Every police station is supposed to recruit their own community in blue members.
“We are looking forward to sign up many more because my idea is to place enough peace officers in the community to do the protection of their own area.
“What’s currently happening is that there are a lot of neighbourhood watch working very hard. I believe by giving them these powers people will start to fear them the same way they fear the police when they are doing something wrong,” said Laing.
Laing added loadshedding has increased criminal activity with suspects using the opportunity to break into houses and businesses.
“In my area currently, during loadshedding, the neighbourhood watch are the people patrolling the areas and criminals are making use of the loadshedding tactic to break into houses, break into businesses, demolish infrastructure and by doing that we doing the whole of the community a really big harm. You know, you are sitting without electricity for two to four hours a day now cables are being stolen, people can’t come in and it is really a challenge.”
Community in blue officers are expected to receive the same training as police reservists over the next three months.
“They are going to receive basically the same training as police reservist constables where they will be taught most of the criminal procedure act. It tells you how to deal with certain situations, what rights the government gives you to get empowered but it also gives you the right, with regards to other acts, the acts for instance in the child and sexual offences act because a lot of people think that they know a lot but they give people the wrong advice.”
Laing said empowering the community in blue officers would also help to educate the broader community of their rights.
“There’s a lot of people who feel ashamed, people who are still hiding and not prepared to come forward when offences, especially gender-based violence occur which is one of our biggest offences in the country.
“There is so much that the community is not aware of and this is just a strengthening arm that the community in blue will be able to give the community a little more information and a little more power.”
Community in blue officers will receive training every Saturday until they are ready to execute their duties.
“Before they go on to the streets, they must know their basics. I can’t let them operate with powers and they don’t know what their powers are. So, it will take about three months where on Saturday’s we will give the lectures and give the information after they have received the necessary beginning training, they will receive their appointment certificates and then they will be fully fledged community in blue with uniforms and then they will hit the streets.”
Natalie Frans, a member of Klip Neighbourhood Watch in Grassy Park who signed up for the community in blue, said she wanted to make a difference in her community.
“The first time I heard about the community in blue was last year August and not long after that we signed up. You face different challenges on a daily basis where you patrol within a convoy and people say that you are just a normal neighbourhood watch member, you can’t search them and you don’t have the right to do so.
“Police are not always available when you call them, so this is a good start.”
She added the challenges they face within the community include cable theft, young people sitting on street corners smoking dagga, car theft and house break-ins.
Fagmieda Stemmed, who has been a member of the neighbourhood watch for several years, said that often residents did not respect them while they patrolled the streets.
“People are rude to you on the road. You give them respect and you want respect back at the end of the day.”
She added that the new role as a community in blue officer would empower them while patrolling the neighbourhood.
Janine Peterse, a member of Grey Zone Community Watch, said crime was getting out of hand.
“With crime getting out of hand, you can’t walk to a shop anymore, you can’t get into your car alone and you can’t decide you just want to take a walk.
“It is dangerous out there. So, with us being on the road and being the eyes and ears of the police it somehow curbs, not every crime but a little bit.
“So, we feel with us being on the road we can give back to the community in a way to help to fight crime.”
