The Hout Bay Community Police Forum needs new leadership after it announced at a meeting last week that its executive committee had stepped down.
CPF chairman Anthony Chemaly said the committee had ended a five-year term, and volunteers were needed to stand for a new committee.
“There will be a call to do the CPF annual general meeting in the next 60 days, and we are asking for local businesses and NGOs to register with the CPF, nominate community members to join the CPF, and a vote will be held for the new exco,” he said.
“It is critical that we get a CPF exco that has significant representation from Hangberg and IY to allow both communities to be fully represented and collaboratively work with SAPS to give inputs into crime prevention needs within Hangberg and IY.”
The exco should have a chairperson, vice chairperson, secretary, treasurer and spokesperson.
Mr Chemaly said he had told last Thursday’s meeting of some 60-odd people at the library that the Hout Bay police station was severely under-resourced.
“This is the case throughout the Western Cape and at most SAPS stations. There is a desperate need for SAPS national to provide sufficient members to allow effective policing. We are short a number of members at Hout Bay including a Vispol head and head of detectives amongst other posts.
“Currently we have stand-in members doing the work, resulting in SAPS members working very long hours. We have been very lucky to have a number of security service providers and volunteer organisations who assist SAPS to police as well as support from the City of Cape Town Law Enforcement, Metro Police, Traffic.”
It was critical, with support from SAPS, to establish a representative CPF and other CPFs and neighbourhood watch or block patrols in Hangberg and Imizamo Yethu, Mr Chemaly said.
Community activist Roscoe Jacobs told the Sentinel that he had called at last Thursday’s meeting for cameras to be installed in Imizamo Yethu and Hangberg.
“Since we have cameras mostly around Hout Bay, I asked why don’t we install some in Hangberg and IY as they are the crime hot spots. There was no mention at the meeting of future plans to install cameras in these areas. We need to come together as residents and take back our streets.
“We also need more support for programmes and NGOs that uplift youth and keep them from falling victim to drugs and gangsterism. The socio-economic issues perpetuate crime, but we need to continue funding our local support groups, especially those who tackle the issue of gender-based violence.”
Hout Bay Neighbourhood Watch chairman Andrew Martin told the Sentinel that he was not aware of any plans to install cameras in Hangberg and Imizamo Yethu.
“I’m not convinced that cameras in those particular areas are the best use of limited resources,” he added. “In those particular areas, unless there is complete acceptance by the community, any cameras will tend to get quickly vandalised and don’t add as much benefit as other areas.“
Late last year, the watch announced plans to install two dual security cameras in the Main Road, near the Domestic Animal Rescue Group, by the end of February this year at a cost of about R100 000 (“More cameras next year, says Hout Bay watch,“ Sentinel, December 2023), but Mr Martin said they had not been installed yet because the watch was waiting for ”stock arrival“.
Security company boss Fareed Hoosen welcomed the announcement that a new CPF would be established.
“We agree that the CPF should be made up of all the residents, especially the people in Mandela Park, IY and Hangberg. There’s not been much representation of these communities in the past, and that needs to be changed.”
For more information, contact Anthony Chemaly at 083 255 7749.
