Four Grassy Park police officers will see themselves mentored and trained to fulfil roles of senior officers at the station in a new programme rolled out last week.
At a media briefing held on Wednesday 7 September, station commander Col Dawood Laing said the police want to develop young members who showed potential to become the leaders of tomorrow.
“We are standing in the dawn of new leadership. Currently the police are sitting with a situation where most of the old-school leadership will retire in the next five to eight years and we don’t want a lack of leadership to remain because the police play a vital role within the community to ensure a safe and secure environment.
“Based on this, every component head was asked to nominate four people and then we also asked unions to nominate four people each.”
After candidates were selected management held an election with unions where they were tasked to identify members who showed potential.
“The members had to meet certain requirements, like leadership skills, work ethics and private ethics, interest in their work, interest in police service and treatment of complainants because we cannot just choose any person who would not be able to represent the police.”
He added that most of the candidates were unanimously elected from the panel.
“We’ve identified Sgt Ricardo Goldsmith as the junior station commander, Sgt Masibonge Ngacu as junior Vispol commander, miss Jo-Anne Jacobs as junior support head and Const Theodore Henry as the junior detective commander.
“We believe that they really do have potential, they have shown their commitment towards their organisation and their work and it’s imperative that we take these members by the hand to educate them and teach them the skills to run a police station or a component in a few years.”
Police are only a “drop in the ocean” compared to the large community they served, Laing continued.
“In Grassy Park we are 164 members and serve a population close to 100 000; according to the stats of 2018, we believe it’s close to 270 000, so we are only a drop in the ocean.
“We also want to teach the members the roles of all the organisations such as the neighbourhood watches, the feeding schemes, the rate-payers associations so that when they are going to become leaders, they will be able to tap into those resources to provide a safer environment for the broader community.”
Members will be mentored and receive hands-on training.
“It’s difficult when you are not exposed to these things and all of a sudden you are in a command position.
“We are of the first stations to grab this opportunity.
“We are working in an environment where the workload is so much that you don’t get that personal interaction with members.
“The main thing is that we must be able to empower them to become a leader of tomorrow.”
Goldsmith, who has been a police officer for 17 years, said it was big shoes to be filled and an honour to be selected.
“I’m willing to receive the experience and to be given the opportunity and be mentored. We don’t know what we as humans are capable of until we are placed in that situation.”
Ngacu, who has been a police officer for 19 years and in the Vispol division for nine years, said there are various challenges they face.
“There are challenges for Vispol and we at times feel our lives are in danger. Other challenges are that people know who the perpetrators are, but still they chase the police. I am honoured to be here.
“I am grateful and honoured for this opportunity.”
Jacobs, a chief administration clerk who has been on detective’s admin branch for almost three decades, says she was grateful that others saw the potential in her.
“I feel very honoured that someone saw potential in me and I will be assisting the support head.
“I already feel I have a close working relationship. There are many things that can be implemented. It’s also our community and our environment and I’m hoping that I can assist.”
