Deadly threats against community patrollers grow

Being disorganised and lack of proper training contribute to the killings of volunteer patrollers and members of the Community Policing Forum (CPF), according to experts.

From last year the country has seen a surge in killings of CPF members.

Recent cases include the gunning down of Sydney Mboweni, a CPF chair in Kroondal outside Rustenburg, North West.

Surge in Community Policing Forum and patrollers killings

According to the police, Mboweni was killed while on his way to report a crime.

His death came a week after six CPF members were killed and burnt at the Marry Me informal settlement in Soshanguve, Tshwane.

In October, six members were killed in Qumbu near Mthatha, Eastern Cape.

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Prof Witness Maluleke, a criminologist from the University of Limpopo, said the CPF deterred potential criminals and bolstered the limited Saps numbers, making them targets for criminals.

“As a result, they are becoming suitable targets of motivated criminals as they are regarded as enemies who hinder crime opportunities,” he said.

“CPF members should be adequately resourced and trained to effectively respond to crimes.

CPF members seen as enemies who hinder crime

“It should be known that they are dealing with well-organised and armed criminals, without protection.

“This should change and they should work closely with the local Saps members and should be protected and not work in isolation. Society is not a safe space, it is a war zone,” he said.

Chad Thomas, an organised crime investigator from IRS Forensic Investigations believes the lack of policing resources also contributes to the killings.

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“Murders and assaults on our citizens, especially in townships, informal settlements and areas suffering urban decay, are very concerning; but attacks on people who have volunteered to protect their communities are particularly vile,” said Thomas.

“It is heartbreaking and devastating to see people assaulted and even violently killed for wanting to do the right thing by protecting their communities.

“It is particularly disturbing that volunteer patrollers and CPF members are being attacked in the communities that they are trying to bring a semblance of normality to.

Saps deny lack of resources as contributor to killings

“Crime wardens, metropolitan police forces and provincial traffic officials need to form part of an integrated programme as force multipliers for Saps, and security companies should also be deployed to these high-risk areas in support of Saps”.

National police spokesperson brigadier Athlenda Mathe denied the lack of resources contributed to the killings.

Mathe said the resourcing of CPF was a priority and for the past two years the CPF was given R140 million.

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“The CPF and community patrollers have a guideline and when patrollers report for duty, they must inform the coordinator who is a police officer from the station.

“The coordinator must also have a schedule list and database of who patrollers are.

“We must know who is on duty with which police officer so this must always be followed.

Patrollers must be registered – police

“It poses a problem when community patrollers are not registered with the local police station or community safety department.

“All community patrollers must be registered. If they are not, they should go to their nearest police station and register.”

Mathe said a preliminary investigation indicated that the murder of the CPF member in Rustenburg was not linked to his work.

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She said one person was arrested in relation to the North West case, while two people were arrested in connection with the Tshwane killings.

Siyanda Biyela, a spokesperson for National Community Police Consultative Forum, which is a national body for CPF has called on police management, “to engage with us to address the escalating threats. We demand a higher level intervention to ensure the safety of members and patrollers.”