Vuyolwethu Sangotsha

Vuyolwethu Sangotsha

The Eastern Cape Community Policing Forum (CPF) board has urged the national police commissioner's office to allocate funds to struggling forums.

Provincial CPF treasurer Vuyisile Njikelana said the lack of funding was crippling the CPF's services.

CPFs depend on the budgets of their local SAPS divisions for their survival.

Njikelana made the remarks at end of a two-day provincial community policing forum indaba in East London.

"Our programmes and projects are suffering because of a lack of funds," he said.

"I believe that there should be a budget allocated to the CPFs from the national SAPS office," Njikelana said.

Njikelana also said that if CPF members got injured they received no benefits, though they helped police in the fight against crime.

As a result, he noted, poor families had to foot medical bills for injured CPF members and arrange funerals for dead volunteers.

He said the SAPS should contribute towards the treatment and burial of CPF volunteers.

Eastern Cape safety and liaison MEC Thobile Mhlahlo said his department would consider the question of providing resources for the CPF.

Referring to the recent aborted First National Bank crime initiative, Mhlahlo said the millions spent on advertising campaigns and pamphlets would have been better spent in helping in the fight against crime.