A new public service campaign has been launched to help make police stations the centre of their communities.
‘Operation: MyPoliceStation’ aims to encourage South Africans to proactively approach their local SAPS with offers of assistance in the form of their time, expertise, goods or services.
“Not everyone can be a police reservist on the beat,” says campaign coordinator Ivan Booth. “But almost everyone can help paint a wall, plant a flowerbed, wash a police car or deliver a welcome cappuccino to our police members,” says Booth.
He explains the MyPoliceStation campaign aims to remind South Africans of the valuable policing assets that exist within their communities and how they require public support to function at their best.
“There are no formalities to getting involved at your local police station. Think creatively, walk in the door and offer to help out in any way that plays to your own strengths,” he says.
To keep support for the country’s police stations top of mind, the MyPoliceStation campaign aims to tag short text messages onto hundreds of thousands of cellular network notifications every month. This is to encourage South Africans to visit mypolicestation.co.za and thereafter pledge their time, expertise, goods or services to their local SAPS.
A crowdfunding and SMS campaign is soon to be launched by Booth to help finance the transmission of the monthly text tag messages that will remind South Africans to offer their assistance to their local police station.
Examples of network notifications incorporating the MyPoliceStation call to volunteer include missed call alerts, balance notifications and Please Call Me messages. The goal is for 500 000 people each month to receive mobile text tags like this: “Meet the local heroes at MyPoliceStation.co.za to make your SAPS better! #SendMe.”
The words ‘send me’ feature in a song by the late Hugh Masekela and were referenced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation Address on 16 February 2018. These two words are inspiring South Africans to work with government to develop the country in creative ways that include the MyPoliceStation public service initiative.
The campaign to make police stations the centre of their communities is further spurred by Minister of Police Bheki Cele’s impressive action-orientation and willingness to be bold in the fight against crime. “We love the fact that our Minister of Police leads from the trenches. We are sure he’ll soon lend his support to the campaign to help make police stations the centre of communities,” concludes Booth.
Follow @MyPoliceSA on Twitter for up-to-the-minute MyPoliceStation news and details regarding the imminent crowdfunding campaign or email MyPoliceSA@gmail.com.
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