Alzane Narrain
The involvement of youth in crime, either as victims or perpetrators, has been a cause for great concern for many years. A Junior Commissioner Project was therefore launched by police at various police stations in the Free State. “This project aims to target all schools in the province. Grade 8 to 12 pupils are involved in the project. The aim of this project is to show high school children that they can trust police and that crime does not pay,” says Lieutenant-Colonel Thandi Mbambo of Corporate Communication for the Free State.
This project develops learners into productive partners in crime prevention, implementing projects to prevent crime by involving learners and addressing any anti-social behaviour. These learners are mentored by the police. They get training on public speaking, debates, project management as well as leadership skills while they are attending camps. Pupils also take part in awareness campaigns, using outreach programmes to mobilize and educate the youth for the youth.
According to Mbambo, learners who are chosen to take part in the Junior Commissioner Project are used on various platforms to address and motivate their peers. They automatically become police ambassadors at the various schools that they attend. “Most of the juniors have developed as young leaders. They are used on various platforms to address and motivate their peers. Most of them get exposure, whereby they are invited by key people for example, the MEC of Police Roads and Transport and the Provincial Commissioner to accompany them to special events,” explains Mbambo.
Mbambo added that there are 80 police stations that have adopted the Junior Commissioner Project and others are in the process of implementing it into their programmes. “Conducting awareness campaigns to address the identified concerns will be done, keeping in mind that the environments at the local schools are different and unique. The number of learners joining this project is not limited, the more youth involved the better,” says Mbambo.
alzane@centralmediagroup.co.za
