Law enforcement members, as well as top police officers from all over Cape Town, gathered at the Milnerton police station on Monday, 15 April, to sign a new constitution for community policing forums (CPFs) and boards in the province.
The signing was hosted by the provincial CPF board and was attended by Reagen Allen, community and safety MEC, and Thembisile Patekile, provincial police commissioner, as reported by IOL.
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The constitution was changed to ‘align organisational structures’ due to changes in police structures and after facing numerous challenges and obstacles, according to the board.
Previously, each police station was grouped into a cluster, with the CPF committees being structured the same way, but with the changes from clusters to districts, there are now more stations grouped.
The change has allowed for ‘better communication and smoother working relations’, culminating in a ‘more cohesive working partnership’, according to Justin Kumlehn, CPF board spokesperson.
‘There were also amendments to strengthen the code of conduct and to introduce mechanisms to deal with members that have political aspirations, improvements on voting processes and dealing with associations linked to the CPFs,’ said Kumlehn.
The board also had to look at streamlining dispute resolution procedures and the vetting of documents required when serving as a CPF representative, according to Kumlehn.
There are currently 151 CPF committees across the province, with Allen stating that the signing of the constitution was ‘significant and meant greater collaboration’.
‘This is to bring about a service that effectively attends to the needs of our residents. Collectively we aim to ensure that the oversight over SAPS leads to better service delivery,’ said Allen.
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