Tracking down criminals in the inner city

By Sheree Russouw

AT first glance, Joe Zindel seems an unlikely hero to Johannesburg's inner city residents. Clad in an expensive-looking suit, his ears pressed to an equally expensive-looking cellphone, it's hard to imagine Zindel, a Houghton resident, patrolling the filthy domains of Bree Street, on the lookout for the city's criminal elements.

But talk to Zindel for just one minute and you will soon discover how passionate he is about his work as the chairman of the Johannesburg Central Community Police Forum (CPF). So passionate, in fact, that he has worked without pay for most of the last three years. So passionate that only a few weeks after having a major heart operation in November 2001, he returned to work, with requisite passion of course.

The CPF, based at the SA Centre in Bree Street, is tasked with improving the relations between the police stationed at the nearby Johannesburg Central Police Station, and the inner city community. The forum was established four years ago by businessman Paul O'Sullivan, who owned several properties in the central business district (CBD), and became increasingly disturbed by the soaring crime rate in the city and the hurried trek of major businesses to the northern suburbs.

About three years ago, Zindel, a former architect, took over at the helm of the forum. Today, he runs it single-handedly. He is not ashamed to admit that he is affluent, and white, nogal, trying to protect a community that is predominantly poor and black. But, he insists that the CPF is not a one-man show.

"Rather, it is one man's vision to fix up the city. There are a lot of people who help me from the police. Everyone chips in. I believe that if I can motivate the forum, then it's sufficient to function. If there's an area in town where there are too many snatches of handbags, for example, then we phone the police and make them aware of the problem. That's the kind of work that the CPF does," says Zindel.

Zindel stresses that while he is doing the same work that Johannesburg's other 21 CPFs are doing, his forum does not receive the same enthusiasm from its surrounding community as other forums do in more affluent areas such as Rosebank and Norwood.

Most inner city residents are not even aware that the forum exists, he says, and even if they do know, they opt not to become involved. "There is so much apathy and lethargy here in the CBD. The community is an unmotivated lot and will only become involved when faced with disaster or when something is politically instigated. They lose interest very quickly."

The local police agree. "As a rule, people in the city don't get involved," says Director David Botha from the Johannesburg police precinct. "Some do, but not to the extent that we would like. People wait until they have a problem, and they only approach us then.

"They don't understand that the CPF is the platform for the community to speak from. I think that the CPF plays an invaluable role. You can't measure it. It is not for the police but for the community. But it also keeps the police transparent and accountable," he says.

Botha believes that the attitudes of the city's police officers have improved dramatically as a result of the forum. "The CPF has changed the police. We have become more approachable. And our attitude to the community has changed for the better."

Unlike the inner city residents, city firms are not as complacent, and often sponsor CPF activities. "They know that they have to rely on the man in the street to provide their income," says Zindel, who is a businessman himself, and who serves as landlord to urbanites who rent space in his buildings, which are spread across town.

Zindel believes that a major problem facing the city is the lack of decent housing. "This is life here," Zindel says, pointing to a rundown building. "This is where people bring up their kids and consummate their marriages." Mountains of rubbish are piled high on the roof, while endless rows of wet clothes hang precariously on washing lines that dangle over balconies. A breath will cost you - the rank smell of urine permeates the air here.

"The CPF tries to educate people about better ways of living. We urge the police to take action against people living in these kinds of conditions, where there are almost always drugs, crime, and family fights. I can't just sit and watch children playing in that filth and not do anything."

Israeli-born Zindel has introduced several initiatives to uplift the morale of police officers. The Top Cop award was created as an incentive for police officers to work harder for their communities, and it offers a tantalising financial reward - the cop of the month receives R500, while the runner-up gets R250.

At the end of the year, the city's ultimate cop of the year receives a whopping R10 000. "The award encourages police officers to go beyond the call of duty. And trust me, when you're earning R2 000 a month, that prize money goes a long way," says Zindel.

He is also trying to empower police officers to become computer literate. He has approached small computer colleges in the CBD to provide basic computer skills to the precinct's officers.

"These colleges just offer a basic course to teach the officers computer skills, which is essential today. A lot of them may be fly-by-night colleges but they can provide the basics. A lot of officers don't have the slightest clue about how to work a computer," he says.

In partnership with the CPF, police officers patrolling the city are involved in sector policing. The inner city is divided into six sectors - an officer is responsible for the "management" of each sector. Says Botha: "The officer follows crime trends in the area, and connects it to environmental or economic factors, for example. The officer then identifies roleplayers from the community or business to work together to manage crime in the area".

Sector policing has met with some success, he says, but it is a learning curve for the police officers who are only receiving training now. "Sector policing, like the CPF, takes years to develop. It's a long process and not something that just happens overnight."

The CPF monitors the Victim Empowerment Programme of Botha's police precinct. Volunteers brief victims on their rights, and try to provide insight into the workings of the justice system so that victims of crime can be fully prepared for their day in court, Botha says.

With a view of getting crime under control, Zindel remains optimistic about the rejuvenation of the inner city. "I think there's hope for the city but it's going to be in the long-term. When people want to live here, and they make the conditions here nice, then it will be better for all of us. Then we can reclaim it back again."

For more information, contact Joe Zindel on 082 414-4444 or you can email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

For more information about the Johannesburg Central Police Station, contact Senior Superintendent David Botha on (011) 497-7351