Fish Hoek’s new police chief says she is ready to lead by example and be involved in all aspects of the community.
Lieutenant Colonel Belinda Gaffoor took over from acting station commander Captain Vumile Binza on Monday, May 6.
She describes herself as “hands-on” and not the type to sit in her office all day.
Her experience at various police stations in the Western Cape and one in Gauteng includes visible policing, crime prevention, archiving and evidence handling.
She started her career at Elsies River police station in 1991, where she worked up the ranks for 17 years before being promoted to captain at Sandton police station in 2006.
She was transferred to Bellville police station in 2000 and Goodwood in 2011. She was later appointed the Tygerberg cluster’s visible policing coordinator.
Building relationships with the community and creating a positive image of the police were high on her priority list, she said.
“I am excited to be here and blessed to be working with the members at this station,” she said.
“I’m going back to basics. I want the community and the police members to have pride in the station.”
She said she had met with members of the Fish Hoek Community Police Forum and the neighbourhood watches and looked forward to working with them.
“We must all do our part. Clear communication with all community sectors is vital to the success of the service that we, as SAPS, can provide.”
Fish Hoek CPF chairman Andre Blom congratulated Lieutenant Colonel Gaffoor on her appointment.
“The CPF and Lieutenant Colonel Gaffoor share a common belief that effective stakeholder participation, public education and engagements on matters of community safety are crucial to reducing crime in Fish Hoek,” he said.
