National Instruments has demonstrated its commitment to investing in its future in South Africa by means of a generous donation to the Midrand Community Policing Project. This act of good faith was welcomed by the project, which openly thanked National Instruments for both the donation and its support.
About the project
While the project has little to do with instrumentation and control, this support and contribution does positively affect those living in the Midrand area - which would include many of our readers. - Ed
The Midrand Community Policing Forum has established a section 21 company - Midrand Community Policing Project. The purpose of this is to raise funds to enable the provision of much needed resources lacking to the Midrand Police. It is also the intention, should funds allow, to provide the community of Midrand with an Emergency Call Centre.
The Midrand community, up until April 2001, had a crisis centre, which was provided by the then Midrand Town Council and funded by the residents and businesses in the area. Funds were obtained through a levy, which was added onto the community's rate account.
The crisis centre (Public Safety department) served the community well. It was equipped with state-of-the-art fire and rescue vehicles, traffic vehicles and ambulances as well as a helicopter. The personnel manning this equipment were highly trained and able to deal with any emergency. The SAPS and Public Safety Department worked well together, as both were equipped with radios operating on the same frequency.
5 December, 2000 brought in major changes. The Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council (Johannesburg City Council) was formed, hence the integration of the local council into the GJMC. A 'call centre' was established on the West Rand with the intention of providing the same emergency service the Midrand community had in the past relied on. The Midrand Crisis Centre was closed in April 2001.
The closure of the Midrand Crisis Centre had a devastating impact on the community. The contact number for the crisis centre was re-routed through to the new call centre, but it did not work effectively. Radio communication between the SAPS and the Public Safety department was no longer in place. This put a huge burden on the Midrand SAPS.
The Midrand SAPS have been understaffed for a number of years now. Adding to this, there are not enough vehicles and necessary equipment available to ensure effective policing takes place. There are presently two numbers a person can phone when requiring police assistance. Often both lines are busy, which will leave the caller with an ongoing ring. This gives the impression the phones are not being attended to. The situation is most frustrating to both the SAPS and the community. It is also unacceptable that a community as large as Midrand does not have an effective policing service.
It is the hope of the Midrand Community Policing Project that the community will adhere to the call for financial assistance. Resources obtained will remain the property of the MCPP and there is no risk of losing them. Should a call centre become a reality, it will run as a private entity, with the co-operation of the SAPS.
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