Cops from Lentegeur Police Station received a pleasant surprise on Wednesday when the community hosted an awards ceremony for them.
Confused officers arrived at the YMCA campsite in Strandfontein where they were treated to cake and tea and thanked for their hard work in tackling crime.
The event was hosted by the Community Police Forum (CPF) and chairperson, Byron de Villiers, says while they have been serving as the CPF for less than a year they wanted to do something to improve relations.
“This is the first time the officers are being thanked since the police station opened (in 2013).
“With the goings on in Lentegeur there is always negativity and morale becomes a problem. But now we have a new acting station commander who is really reaching out to the community and working on motivating the members, so we planned the party and created the awards across five categories.”
Station commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Harry Brickles, says officers enjoyed themselves and they have welcomed the initiative.
“It really is an honour to be part of this and this is a day for the members as this event is to thank you for all you do. It also creates some competition and I hope that together we will strive to excel in our work.”
The CPF handed out 10 awards for January and February which include the best performing shift, visible policing officer, detective, administration officer and manager for each month.
monique.duval@inl.co.za