‘Desk-sitting and paper pushing will not get us anywhere’- Community Safety MEC
|Published
It has been one year since Reagen Allen was sworn in as MEC of Community Safety and Police Oversight. File.
Cape Town - “If there is anything that a man can do well, I say, let him do it. Give him a chance.”
The quote by Abraham Lincoln are some of the words of inspiration Community Safety and Police Oversight MEC Reagen Allen lives by.
Allen himself has likened himself to Lincoln, sporting the same-styled beard and hairstyle.
Lincoln was a self-taught lawyer legislator who spoke against slavery and was elected the 16th president of the United States of America in 1860.
Allen is working on creating a revolution and change in community safety by working on the grounds and in the streets.
A year after he was sworn in, Allen visited and assessed 107 police stations, had 69 community engagements and monitored close to 700 criminal matters at 55 courts and 64 GBV cases.
Allen, 38, is no stranger to the portfolio as he served as the Chairperson of the Standing Committee of Community Safety and Cultural Affairs and Sport since June 2019 and has been a member of the Western Cape Provincial Legislature since December 2018.
“In the safety space, one will find it difficult to obtain an in-depth understanding of the realities in communities if you don’t have the lived experience or if you’re not in-tuned and engaging with communities. This is why the patrols and visits have and continue to be so important. Desk-sitting and paper pushing will not get us anywhere,” he said.
When asked how his first year had been, Allen said he is striving to reach his goals: “Challenging, yet fulfilling, and we have made great strides towards reaching our main objectives.
“I am particularly encouraged that we have been able to strengthen working relationships with all stakeholders, including the SAPS.”
Allen added he believed in an open door policy and listening to the man on the street by working closely with safety structures in the communities.
“I wanted to ensure transparency while opening our doors so that we are accessible. I wanted the broader community to be reminded that the fight against crime is not a ‘one-person’ job. Instead, it requires all of us to put our shoulders to the wheel if we are to combat this evil that is plaguing our society. In practical terms, this means patrolling with neighbourhood watches, CPF’s and various other safety stakeholders. It also meant visiting SAPS stations to ascertain what the realities are for officers and how the public is being assisted.”
He stated his plans included working to obtain a devolution/new policing model where SAPS falls directly under their management.
“I’m here for this short period, and the change required cannot be more clear.”
He detailed that an injection into LEAP stations with a budget set aside of R10 million was the boost needed and that they were expanding the K-9 Unit and will include the Mossel Bay unit, which will join the Swartland and Overstrand.
Allen also spoke of the Court Watch Brief, which has monitored close to 700 criminal matters.
When not focusing on crime and safety, Allen spends time with his wife and has a love for dogs and soccer: “I enjoy watching soccer, and it affords me 90 minutes to ‘switch off’ and enjoy a game of football to the extent where my leg kicks involuntarily when I want a player to pass or shoot.
‘’Sadly, just before my appointment, my dog Bane passed away. We miss him dearly, and my wife and I are trusting to add to our family in the coming months.”