South Africans are fed up with police inaction and incompetence in the fight against crime, especially violent crime. According to a survey by Afrobarometer, three-quarters of people in South Africa have felt unsafe walking in their neighbourhoods, and two-thirds fear crimes in their homes. While crime rates are all too high, trust in the police to be professional, effective and uncorrupt is extremely low. 

Community Policing Forums (CPFs) are groups that bring residents and the police together to work on making communities safer for everyone. Many CPFs in South Africa are not nearly as active or engaged as they should be, but those that are, make a real difference in their communities.

Helping your local CPF become stronger is one of the best ways to hold the police accountable and help your neighbourhood become a place where everyone can walk the streets without fear. 

What does an effective CPF do? 

•  A good CPF facilitates two-way communication and trust between residents and police. Volunteer members of the CPF advise the police on actions that should be taken to make neighbourhoods safer, while listening to the police can allow residents to better understand criminal justice issues in their communities. 

• Regular community policing forum meetings are essential to deal with conflicts and misunderstandings between residents and the police. They facilitate joint problem solving, reporting and information sharing to address crimes.

• On a day-to-day basis, CPFs organise safety initiatives like neighbourhood meetings, foot patrols, or projects to work with young people and youth groups to prevent crime. Some CPF volunteers help to support the victims of crimes with Victim Empowerment Programmes. 

• CPFs are critical for police accountability.  CPFs monitor the effectiveness of the SAPS and fight corruption in police services.

How can you strengthen your local CPF? 

Get connected 

Every police station in South Africa is required to have a Community Policing Forum, and every South African over 18 has the opportunity to apply to be part of their local CPF if they wish. Some CPFs select members of the community known to be reliable and trustworthy. Reach out to your nearest police station and ask to know when and where the next CPF meeting is. You can also search for your local CPF group on Facebook or WhatsApp groups in your area. 

2. Consistently show up to CPF meetings 

CPFs are only as strong as the volunteers who make them work. Be a consistent presence at your CPF, and encourage your neighbours to do the same. Use channels like your neighbourhood watch group to learn what your community’s safety and security problems and needs are. 

3. Know your role as a CPF member 

It's important to know that volunteer members of ****CPFs do not have the same powers as police; for example, they cannot make arrests or take down statements. It's important to work with the police and other CPF members to make sure no one abuses their position as a CPF member or takes the law into their own hands. 

An active and engaged CPF should help prevent mob justice. If a community is connected to the police through the CPF, it can help residents use the justice system to fight and prevent crime, rather than dangerously and often fatally turning to vigilantism. 

4. Help your CPF organise community initiatives 

The strongest CPFs work to develop a network of relationships with community initiatives, faith-based initiatives and government departments. Some CPFs play a vital role in engaging young people, for example, by organising youth educational programmes and soccer tournaments. CPF members also work to educate communities on safety and security issues. 

5. Build relationships with the police 

It often takes time to build respectful, working relationships with police officers. CPFs create space for this, while also putting pressure on the police to do their jobs fairly and effectively. 

Every South African can help make the area they live in safer and more united. Being an active part of your CPF can build trust within your community and help make sure that the police are serving people as they should. 

Acknowledgements  

Thank you to Robson Ndlovu of the Msholozi Community Policing Forum in Mbombela, who provided insights and advice for this article. 

Flexible community policing is vital to local safety | ISS Africa by David Bruce