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Saambou Bank Community Police  Competition
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Speeches and Media Releases
 Safety Liaison and Transport

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 EASTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

Provincial Safety, Liaison and Transport

Address by the MEC for Safety and Security, Mr Dennis Neer: At the Saambou Bank Community Police Competition, 15 July 1999

Introduction:

Deputy National Commissioner
 Deputy Provincial Commissioner
 Area Commissioner
 The Management of Saambou Bank
 Representatives from the Community Police Fora
 Members of the South African Police Services
 Distinguished guests, ladies and Gentlemen

I am honoured to have been part of this occasion, which on its own is a history in making, for the people of Mount Fletcher, the 
Drakensberg area and the Eastern Cape in general. This is a historic event in that, the Mount Fletcher Police Station and its surrounding 
community, based in the remotest and rural part of our province, are today being hailed as having done the best as far as the promotion of 
community policing is concerned in the province.

Our congratulations need to go to the policemen and women, members of the local Community Police Forum and the surrounding community at 
large who have joined in partnership to promote the concept of community policing, through their crime prevention initiatives.

This part of the province is known throughout the country for being notorious in stocktheft and other cross - border raids between the 
locals and Lesotho nationals, events that have claimed a number of victims. Today we have turned that history and image upside down as we 
are gathered here not to discuss how to combat stocktheft and other related crimes, but, are here to honour the locals for working as a 
team and in partnership with the police to strive for a safe and secure environment in this area.

This presentation here today does not mean that all will be well and fine as far as crime and partnership is concerned in this area but 
this should be seen as a step in the right direction towards achieving greater co - operation between the communities and the police with 
regards to combating crime and strengthening community - police relations. It is also historical that this station emerged as a winner in 
this competition, sponsored by Saambou, despite the huge challenges it is facing which relate to shortage of resources, difficult terrain 
for policing, rural nature of the area and the on - going threats of stock - theft related crimes.

Whilst the winners of this competition in the past have come from urban areas with no challenges and problems similar to those experienced 
by this station, the fact that this rural station has become victorious in this competition in this year should be seen as a turning point 
in the history of community policing. We need to be biased towards these are stations and communities, in terms of motivation, allocation 
of resources and effective service delivery. The Governments Reconstruction and Development Programme is explicit on pronouncing our bias 
towards the previously disadvantaged and todays event is exactly the interpretation of that policy.

The imbalances in this area and in this station alone cannot be compared to any of those stations and communities that previously won this 
competition. Here, we have the most disadvantaged communities in the province who have little or no other means of survival other than 
subsistence farming. However that socio-economic imbalance has not dampened their spirit to join hands with the police to combat crime.

The history of community policing in this area dates back a few years, and prior to that these communities were mostly reliant on their own 
initiatives to curb stocktheft and similar crimes in their neighbourhoods and villages. Hence, we need to hail the achievements of this 
community and the SAPS.

I wish to make a call to all those that support this initiative, that we must see to it that station becomes a role model to other stations 
and communities who have similar challenges as this one, so that they too, can emulate this achievement and eventually become winners in 
this competition. We must also make efforts to see to it that this station also clinches the national trophy and become the first station 
of its kind in the history of South Africa to win this competition nationally.

Having alluded to the challenges faced by the community and the police in this area and particularly in this station, I have no doubt that 
it has all the qualities needed to win the national competition. I do not believe that there is any station in all other stations that have 
entered this competition in other provinces, that have a history and track record that this station has, coupled with its imbalances and 
inequalities in terms of resources, geographical situation, and so forth.

Guided by the RDP we are steadily but surely starting to dent the massive inequalities and poverty created by Apartheid in many of our 
previously disadvantaged communities and Mount Fletcher is surely one of them. We have taken a decision as the Department that the 
Stocktheft Unit in this area will be our provincial priority in terms of empowerment and allocation of resources, as it has a huge task to 
perform.

We have a mandate to fulfil as Government, that of ensuring that our people are provided with effective policing services and that their 
policing needs are addressed in a rather more faster pace than before. In order for us to do that we need to provide adequate resources, 
motivate our members, boost their morale and also inculcate a culture of discipline, unity and team work amongst them. Without these, our 
objective of taking community policing to new heights and effectively combating crime would be doomed to fail.

Lastly, I wish to take off my hat for the people of this area, and Mount Fletcher, in particular, for working tirelessly and selflessly to 
ensure that their dream of shining above other urban stations in this province, is realised.

This will go down in our history books and records as a turning stone in the history of policing. I also wish to convey our gratitude's as 
a department to Saambou for being part of this initiative throughout the years of this competition. This is exactly the reflection of a 
Private - Public Sector Partnership that we always emphasise.

It is clear that the rays of dawn have begun to light up our horizon and that the dark days of despair have given way to the season of hope 
for the people of this area. So keep up the good work, and uphold the torch so that your days remain as brighter as the moon in the night 
and as sparkling as a diamond in the dark. So do not despair, together and united as Government, the community, the police and other organs 
of civil society, we can speed up the journey for a better life, not only in Mount Fletcher but throughout other needy communities out 
there.

I thank you

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