The contribution of those who work hard to keep Sea Point safe was recognised last week.
The Sea Point City Improvement District (SPCID) held its annual awards ceremony at the New Kings Hotel, on Tuesday August 20.
The aim of the awards was to recognise and honour the work done by members of SPCID, the City’s Law Enforcement and the South African Police Service (SAPS) throughout the year.
Sea Point CID chief operating officer, Heather Tager, said the heroes of today’s society are those who give unconditionally and are truly committed.
“The fight against crime can only succeed by building a sound partnership between different agencies,” she said.
Ms Tager said there’s no shortage of those who complain about conditions, but there are also those who always have a healthy can-do attitude.
“They succeed, not because they have to, but because they are willing, and this is to pay recognition to our often unsung heroes,” she said.
SPCID chairperson and former Ward 54 councillor, Jacques Weber, said they aim to bring together all the services within Sea Point, strengthening the safety and security within the area and provide a top-up service to the community.
He told the officers that their contribution is valued. “I know many of you get up early at 4am to start making your way into work and put on your uniform to protect the area. We value and thank you for your work.”
Ms Weber said they recently conducted a survey among businesses in Sea Point and the reports came back positive with businesses happy with the work that they do.
Sharing his sentiments, the current ward councillor, Nicola Jowell, said she knows that the job is not a walk in the park as she’s worked in community safety for 11 years.
Ms Jowell said with lives revolving around social media, we’re all prone to complaining a lot and highlighting everything going wrong. “We don’t take enough time to send that email of thanks and congratulations on a job well done and those are the things that make a difference to people in their working lives.”
Ms Jowell said officers have gone above and beyond the call of duty to make a positive impact in the lives of people who live, work and visit Sea Point.
Simphiwe Rasmeni, who was awarded foot patroller officer of the year, said he was grateful to be recognised for his work. He said the award was an encouragement for him to continue to do his job and give 100%.
“One needs to be patient here, because we sometimes deal with rude people, who constantly look down on us. Sometimes a person is having a bad day and they approach you in a wrong way and I’ve learnt to be positive because this puts bread on my table,” he said.
