Philippi SAPS relaunches its Victim Empowerment Programme

The Philippi police relaunched its Victim Empowerment Programme (VEP) on Wednesday, with a new look and bigger space.

The Philippi Community Police Forum (CPF), South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Department of Police Oversight & Community Safety(DoPOCS), work in partnership and play a central role in developing the Community Based Victim Support Programme and established victim friendly facilities and volunteer networks at the police stations. The  VEP works to improve services and to assist all victims of crime and violence to cope and deal with their traumatic experiences and circumstances.

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Provincial Visible Policing(Vispol) is responsible for managing, monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the VEP in the Western Cape Province.

‘’We relaunched the Victim Support Room in a bigger space and comfortable space, so that victims can feel comfortable, loved and care in the Philippi SAPS. The reason for the bigger space is that Gender-Based Violence increased on a daily and Phillipi fall under the prescient of Hanover Park, Schaakpraal and surrounding areas. We noted that GBV domestic violence is on an upward trajectory in those areas,’’ said Kashiefa Mohammed, Philippi CPF Public Relations Officer.

‘’It was a great success. While we launched the VEP, we had a victim of abuse and that is why we as victim volunteers needs to support  the community and Hanover Park must remember that there is help, even though it is at the Phillipi SAPS, but they can knock on our door at anytime of the day,’’ she added.

Non-profit organization, Moms Who Care, was also at the relaunch.

‘’Gender-based violence is a human rights violation. It is an unrelenting assault on human dignity, depriving people of their human rights. Thank you SAPS (Phillipi), CPF members, SPAR, Voice of the Cape and all involved for responding empathetically to survivors, avoiding victim-blaming, and acknowledging the difficulty of the victim’s vulnerability by re-launching the VEP Room. It definitely creates a supportive and safe  environment for them to heal within. May the Almighty facilitate and grant success,’’ it added.

Done By: Mitchum George