Fighting crime together - Community Policing Forum in Wynberg builds vital bridge between police and residents

Wynberg’s Community Policing Forum (CPF) came out tops at the provincial SAPS Excellence Awards held this past weekend at the Century City Convention Centre.

Anzar Salie, chairperson of the Wynberg CPF, accepted the award. Rafique Foflonker of the Lansdowne CPF and Graham Lindhorst, chairperson of the Bishop Lavis CPF, were the other two nominees in this category.

Speaking after the awards ceremony, Salie said the CPF represented the community’s interests and monitored SAPS service delivery. He emphasised that it was their responsibility to promote the image of the police in the community to foster closer ties.

The quarterly crime statistics for Wynberg, released by the Western Cape SAPS for July to September 2022, show that one case of murder, 40 common assault cases and 11 cases of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm were reported to the police station which covers a busy residential and commercial hub.

Salie has been the chairperson of the Wynberg CPF for a little over a year. He took over from Shamiela Riekus, who is now cluster chairperson. Salie was previously the CPF’s public relations officer.

“I appreciate the award because it shows that SAPS recognises our efforts. At the end of the day, I must commend the executive team who collaborated with me and performed admirably. The award recognises teamwork.”

Explaining why their CPF stands out above other CPFs, Salie said: “I’m one of the people… it’s black and white for me and there’s no grey area. I’m not willing to compromise my morals for the sake of others.

“Whenever a member of the community raises an issue, our CPF will take immediate action to bring the matter to the attention of SAPS. We are committed to maintaining positive relationships between SAPS and our community.”

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Salie added, “It is also their responsibility to ensure that SAPS provides a service to the communities, and if they do not, it is our responsibility to raise the issue with SAPS management.”

Graham Lindhorst, one of the nominees, is accustomed to seeing bodies in the gang-ravaged Bishop Lavis area.

Last year on Women’s Day, a fast-food outlet in the suburb was closed and he noticed that the contractor and his workers were sitting outside. He was told the restaurant had been shut by members of the 28s gang who were running an extortion racket in the area.

Lindhorst then arranged a meeting between representatives of the restaurant, the police, the contractor — and the gangsters. The situation was resolved.

Salie says he is aware of the enormity of the task to restore trust between communities and police, but he is up for the challenge. 

“Restoring trust is pivotal and will give residents that comfort zone to candidly talk with police,” he said. 

Other provincial awards include:

Top Detective: Lieutenant-Colonel Adrian Pretorius. His investigation led to the arrest and prosecution of David van Boven in July 2022 for the double murder of UWC student Jesse Hess and her grandfather, Chris Lategan, in August 2019. Van Boven received a double life sentence.

Woman of the Year: Warrant Officer Wendy Lee from a satellite station in Herold, George.

Man of the Year: Constable Kwayo Louw.

Also in Daily Maverick, the motivational talk to police by Gift of the Givers’ Imtiaz Sooliman. DM