Coffee with a Cop is a success at Dainfern Square

By Laura Pisanello, Fourways Review
Original article HERE

Community members once again had the opportunity to engage with Douglasdale police officers during a ‘Coffee with a Cop’ meet-up at Dainfern Square.

The Douglasdale Police Station hosted their first Coffee with a Cop event last year in an effort to create more engagement between police officers and community members.

Among other stakeholders who attended the event were the Itlhokomeleng Batho Rehabilitation Center (IBRC), Johannesburg Metro Police Department, Department of Community Safety, Douglasdale Community Policing Forum, City of Joburg, local security companies and business people.

Psychologist Eddiewren Matumba, the programme director for the Itlhokomeleng Batho Rehabilitation Centre works with police to develop community engagement programmes such as Coffee with a Cop.

Coffee with a Cop is held in a form of an exhibition where the police interact with the community by offering them free coffee while at the same time addressing issues of safety; certify documents, affidavits for the community and information sharing. This also ensures there in police visibility and preventing crime in the area.

Matumba said, “It’s beautiful, it’s really picking up and it has done a lot to change the perception.”

He added that the event is a great opportunity for the community to interact with the police and has been beneficial to both parties. The event also brings client services (such as certifying documents) to the community making it easier for locals.

Captain Mpho Tshethlane, the spokesperson for the Douglasdale Police Station, said, “The event went well with some community members applauding the work done by the police and giving inputs on how best can the police improve their service.

“We will continue with these campaigns to make sure the community of Douglasdale are and feel safe.”