On 19 February 2004, a National Work Session on the Evaluation of the Implementation of Sector Policing was held in Roodepoort, Gauteng. All area commissioners had the opportunity to give status reports on the implementation of Sector Policing in their respective areas. Area West Rand was used as a practical example of how Sector Policing is to be implemented and managed effectively. Attendees of the work session also had the opportunity to visit a sector in Roodepoort, on the West Rand at the end of the session, in order to see how “hot spots” are identified and how projects are launched.

What is Sector Policing?

Sector Policing is a strategic priority of the SAPS, in which the service areas of a police station is divided into smaller, manageable areas known as sectors.

What are the advantages of Sector Policing?
Sector Policing -

• allows more thorough policing because communities are divided into smaller, more manageable areas;
• ensures more effective crime prevention, because attention is given to the causes of crime and the factors and circumstances that allow crime to take place in a sector;
• contributes to community involvement, which leads to sound partnerships between the police and the community;
• encourages and enables communities to take greater responsibility for their own safety and security;
• improves the relationship between the police and the community, which increases the community’s trust in, respect for and understanding of the police;
• reduces the fear of crime and improves the rendering of service by the police;
• makes visible policing more possible because sectors are small; and
• allows policing at its most basic level.

Best Practices of Area West Rand

• Members are motivated to assume accountability for their sectors and get the community involved.
• Since everyone is involved, there is a collective and continuous ability to manage problems.
• Policing is done in conjunction with the community.
• The Area Commissioner is totally involved with the implementation - monthly and quarterly evaluations take place.
• Reasons for problems such as unemployment are linked to crime, but then members are expected to come up with solutions.
• Dockets are assigned to detectives in that area/sector.
• Start small and grow bigger, because once you have started you cannot go back. Ensure sustainability in what you have set up.

Every member has a sector profile with the relevant information, arial photos of problem areas as well as a complete crime scene kit. Certain cell phone numbers are allocated to each sector. The community members know that they get an immediate response if they call those numbers. The specific numbers for each sector are promoted within each sector by means of stickers and business cards. Because the sectors are small, the normal response time to a call from one of these cell phone numbers is approximately 3 minutes.

What is the role of the community in Sector Policing?

• To attend Sector Crime Forum (SCF) meetings to discuss crime prevention action plans with the sector commander in order to deal with crime in the sector.
• To launch and participate in neighbourhood initiatives to safeguard the areas in which they live.
• To provide information and suggestions for preventing crime in the sector.
• To actively support Sector Policing by volunteering as reservists in the sectors.

You can obtain more information about Sector Policing from:
The Draft National Instruction on Sector Policing
The Directorate: Partnership Policing at tel: (012) 421 8326/ (012) 421 8318
Fax: (012) 421 8310
e-mail: vdwesthuizen@saps.org.za
ATTENTION: Supt R Thirbeni

Roodepoort CPF Chairperson, George Radcliff
says the CPF is totally involved
with sector policing

The head of Crime Prevention,
 Roodepoort Sen Supt K Lategan
 explained how strategies were
adapted to make sector policing
work in the Roodepoort area