Inaugural Community Safety Awards sets Law Enforcers on high motivation pedestal
The Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department took the number one spot on the nomination of Crime Prevention.
As the country reels in shock with the brutal shooting and killing of five police officers in the Eastern Cape’s Engcobo area, Gauteng community safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane says this incident lays bare the selfless character of many law enforcement who “like Nelson Mandela” put the safety of others first with little recognition.
It is such selflessness of the law enforcement officers that persuaded the Gauteng community safety department to launch its inaugural Gauteng Community Safety Awards on the 22nd February 2018 at the Johannesburg City Hall.
“We believe these awards will motivate the nominated and winners of the night to continue to strive for excellence, ethical conduct and persist in good deeds. The zeal and commitment of law enforcement, our community volunteers and departmental officials will not go unnoticed,” she said.
The MEC says the awards have been initiated to amplify the element of excellent service by law enforcement agencies in the fight against crime and promoting safety in the province.
To law enforcement officers, the awards are an essential motivation to pull all stops to achieve the target of reducing the trio crimes by 50 per cent in 2019 within 40 police precincts that contribute significantly to the crime picture in the province.
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According to Gauteng community safety head of department, Yoliswa Makhasi, the first instalment of the annual awards ceremony is aimed at acknowledging the devotion and commitment exhibited by law enforcement agencies.
“We are confident that these awards will encourage our stakeholders and key partners to keep up the good work and encourage others to follow suit,” she said.
The award ceremony is a culmination of an intense adjudication process in five categories led by advocate Kholeka Gcaleka and supported by senior members of the department’s staff and South African Police Service.
The categories are Community Awards, Gauteng Traffic Police, Metro Police Department Awards, SAPS Awards and MEC’s Awards.
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The Community Awards focused on Most Effective Community Policing Forum, Most Effective Victim Empowerment Centre (VEC), Most Effective Community Safety Forum and Youth Desk.
In the nomination of Most Effective Community Policing Forum, KwaThema CPF came out on top. Chairperson of the forum, Oupa Mabiletsa says the award is a recognition of collective dedication of his team.
“What sets us apart is a community mass participation and citizen education on social ills such as standing against the killing of members of LGBTI and to help the community understand that the killing of LGBTI is a crime,” he said.
Randfontein Victim Empowerment Centre scooped the coveted award on the nomination of Most Effective Victim Empowerment Centre.
On the nomination of Most Effective Community Safety Forum, Sedibeng stood uncontested as it is the only one that is active in the province.
Naledi Youth Centre walked away with a prestigious award for Most Effective Youth Desk. A beaming Nhlanhla Sithole, chairperson of the youth desk said he is very excited about the awards because it displays his team’s effort is not in vain.
“What makes us unique is that we do not only focus on school visits, but we optimally use social media because the young are found in numbers on social media. We do our social dialogues on education, substance abuse and gender based violence on social media and on other traditional platforms such as school visits and community engagement in community facilities,” he said.
The spotlight on Gauteng Traffic Police Category fell on Most Effective Specialised Unit and Most Improved Regional Office. The Special Law Enforcement Unit received an award ahead of nominated Saturation and Taxi Violence Units while N12 West scored an award for Most Improved Regional Office. N3 Central (Germiston – Buccleuch) and R101 (Tshwane) were also nominated in this category.
The Metro Police Department Category focused on areas concerning Traffic Law Enforcement, By-law Enforcement and Crime Prevention.
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Dominated by the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD), the TMPD stole the show with two awards for best performance in Traffic Law Enforcement and By-law Enforcement nominations.`
The Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department took the number one spot on the nomination of Crime Prevention.
The SAPS Awards category had nominations relating to Gauteng Police Station of the Year, Most Improved Police Station of the Year, and Most Effective Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences.
Villieria Police Station is Gauteng’s Best Police Station of 2018. Other nominees include Khutsong Police Station and Carltonville Police Station, while Vanderbijlpark Police Station was recognised as the Most Improved Police Station. Ikhaya Lethemba Centre received accolades for being the Most Effective Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences.
The last category of the night, the MEC’s Awards, focused on Community Bravery Award, Law Enforcement Bravery Award, Integrity Award and Leadership Award.
The MEC described the nominees in this category as the most dedicated, hardworking, and upstanding individuals who will stop at nothing to restore peace and justice in their communities.
These citizens, she said, are guided by honour and a deep sense of service to their communities and the betterment of the province.
Noxolo Ntuli braved her way to the stage to receive Community Bravery Award for standing up against robbers, Constable Khotso Manamela received the honour of the Integrity Award for refusing to take bribes and General Leshabane from the Tembisa Cluster was saluted for providing outstanding leadership qualities in the fight against crime.
The SAPS: Crime Intelligence also received MEC’s award for Law Enforcement Agency Bravery Award.
*Issued by the Gauteng Department of Community Safety.
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