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- Last week, a dramatic exit of six executive committee members from the Claremont Community Policing Forum (CPF) raised many questions and prompted critique towards Claremont Police’s Station Commander and others.
- The exit highlighted the need to address complaints directed to Claremont’s Crime Intelligence Division (CID).
- According to the former CPF deputy chair March Turnbull the decision was related to a lack of diligent and effective investigation of an uncomfortable number of identifiable criminal cases.
Last week, a dramatic exit of six executive committee members from the Claremont Community Policing Forum (CPF) raised many questions and prompted critique towards Claremont Police’s Station Commander and others, highlighting the need to address complaints directed to Claremont’s Crime Intelligence Division (CID).
On Thursday 15 February, the former CPF deputy chair March Turnbull, speaking for those who have resigned, informed People’s Post of this collective decision: “We are stepping down from the committee because we are unable to effectively table and resolve complaints related to systemic problems within Claremont CID.”
Adding to this nuanced decision, Turnbull claimed the decision was related to a lack of diligent and effective investigation of an uncomfortable number of identifiable criminal cases.
“The CID Branch Commander and the Station Commander are either unable or unwilling to address these problems,” claimed Turnbull.
He confirmed they stepped down from the executive positions on the CPF Committee, “which will render it inoperable until it is rebuilt”.
Claremont Saps Station Commander Col Maree Louw responded to the exit by saying: “I was just as surprised when I attended the first meeting of the CPF on Tuesday 13 February.
“Only the CPF [chair] and one member pitched, and that is when he read out his resignation letter as well as a combined letter of other CPF members with their reasons.”
Louw deems it “unfortunate that they did not see fit to find a common solution for the problems they’ve had with myself, detective commander and detectives, but to take the option to resign.”
She claimed to have given input as well as several suggestions on how Saps and CPF could solve this problem, “but to no avail”.
“Saps and CPF are supposed to be in partnership and to find solutions for the station’s problems but I can honestly say all we got from them was criticism,” she added.
In what is characterised as a strategic move, Turnbull said this was the reluctant culmination of frustration born out of being unable to do the work they were mandated to do.
“What we want to focus on is the worrying number of cases, with excellent supporting evidence and even identifiable suspects, that have not been effectively investigated by the CID branch - even after the CPF Committee tabled formal concerns and formal, well-documented complaints.”
However, Turnbull emphasised their exit was purely that of the executive council and not the CPF in general.
“It is ‘our’ CPF and we are not abandoning it.”
He explained CPFs have two primary objectives:
- To foster productive, crime-fighting partnerships between Saps and the communities they serve;
- To provide the community with a forum to make the police service transparent and accountable.
“The wider community is well aware of the CID shortcomings which cast Claremont Saps in a negative light. This is profoundly unfair to the many excellent officers serving at Claremont Saps,” Turnbull said.
Claremont CPF’s constitution requires to have an elected Chair, Deputy Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Projects Coordinator and Communications Officer.
They are all nominated by registered CPF member organisations.
“These positions are now all vacant,” added Turnbull, “and will need to be filled via nominations and elections.”
It is Saps’s responsibility to manage this process.
This leaves the CPF’s anticipated Annual General Meeting (AGM), which was planned for March, hanging in the balance.
Louw further indicated that they have informed the provincial office and the Department of Safety and Security of the CPF’s executive crisis and await the way forward.
“A new CPF chair and other members will be elected, but we have no date available now,” she concluded.
Turnbull wished to note that members of the entire safety network all worked closely and productively with many excellent police officers at Claremont.
“Our Committee is not able to do the work that we believe it is mandated to do - despite months and years of trying to resolve this impasse.
“So, very reluctantly we needed to step down and concentrate on what we can achieve, in partnership with the many excellent Saps officers working at Claremont precinct.”
