Good Morning Angels

28 Feb Helping the Van Dyk Park CPI to assist their community

11 MIN
Good Morning Angels assisted the Van Dyk Park CPI with R25,000 towards their medical kits and other community service projects. Communities across the country have been mobilising themselves against crime over the past years in the form of Community Policing Forums or Initiatives. There are currently over 300 registered CPIs, made up of volunteers and which are fully self-funded. One of these is the Van Dyk Park CPI, between Boksburg and Brakpan on the East Rand. The 20 patrollers volunteer their time, skills, and own resources to serve their community of around two thousand households as first responders in all manner of crises, from crime to injuries, electricity issues, and vehicle crashes. The Van Dyk Park CPI was started some eight years ago when incidents of crime became overwhelming and the local police resources just could not cope. On their own steam and with the support from residents, the CPI has, over the years, set up a control room, cameras in hotspots like areas where cables are regularly stolen, 400 radios in different homes and community concerns, bought a tractor to cut their own sidewalks and public lawns, and they have 20 patrollers who "patrol the streets at night and during the day… we help the community in need, we have a WhatsApp group for emergencies, from crime to anything.” They also assist the residents in the old age home, take food parcels to residents in need, and assist the authorities with crime prevention and traffic control after vehicle accidents. CPI committee member Alida Jordaan has been involved for the past six years. She says their patrollers are often the first responders at medical emergencies: “Many of our residents do not have medical aid, and they cannot afford private ambulance services. To wait for state services can take up to six hours, and quick action can be the difference between life and death." For this reason, eight of their patrollers have received First Aid Training, which was sponsored, but now they need medical kits that could cost up to R4,000 each. That’s why community member Charlene Kotze wrote to Good Morning Angels.
ENGLISH  SOUTH AFRICA