PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Plettenberg Bay Police Station has made history in the SAPS Garden Route District by becoming the first police station to have an all-women top management structure in charge.
New Station Commander Colonel Nondumiso Nomlala-Nqaphi, new Branch Commander of Detectives, Lieutenant Colonel Ashley Michaels and new Head of Support Services, Lieutenant Colonel Madelaine Tonkin, started their duty on 1 December 2022 and now represent the friendlier, all-woman long arm of the law for the Plettenberg Bay community "as a whole".
Young but ready
Nomlala-Nqaphi, as head of the police in Plettenberg Bay, is the new face leading the all-woman management team. Even at the relatively young age of 37 she brings with her valuable experience.
"Yes, I am young to be in such an important position. It's a result of succession planning and the mentoring programme within the SAPS which encourages younger members. My aim is to ensure that I instil a positive attitude towards the people I work with and that they in turn are positive," she said.
Nomlala-Nqaphi was appointed Captain in 2012 and in 2017 became station commander at Glen Grey. In 2018 she was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and served as station commander at Somerset East, Cofimvaba and then Queenstown.
She was appointed a full Colonel in November last year, before coming to Plett as station commander. Michaels' previous posting was in Mossel Bay where she served for six years as detective commander. Tonkin previously served at Da Gamaskop in Mossel Bay.
An aim to serve all
Nomlala-Nqaphi's goal for Plettenberg Bay is to render a service for all inhabitants in the town – both affluent and from poorer backgrounds, while improving the image of the police to better its relationship with the community.
"[Including] regular crime-combatting operations, crime awareness drives and community education, we will consistently invite communities to be participants in crime-fighting efforts in order to ensure that all communities are safe," she said in her first interview in Plett.
She began her career in the police doing social work, assisting colleagues. Her interest was sparked to become a law enforcement officer, but with the difference of bringing her social worker experience into the workplace.
She completed her basic police courses, junior management training and progressed through the ranks, taking her passion for people who provide security services, "our police members", along with her.
Already hard at work
Nomlala-Nqaphi's skills became apparent during a recent police operation in New Horizons. A large contingent of police descended on an alleged drug den. Three young children on the property appeared overwhelmed by the armed and uniformed police presence. One began crying.
Media representatives observed Nomlala-Nqaphi putting her arm around the child and comforting her. "We're not here to harm you, we're only doing our work, so don't be scared. Big girls don't cry. Look, the young ones are not crying. You're a big girl," she said. The girl nodded, stopped crying and held back her tears.
Nomlala-Nqaphi says Plettenberg Bay thrives on tourism – "but at the same time is home to various types of communities, from the very well-off to the less fortunate", which defines the crime patterns in the various areas.
Community-driven law enforcement
Her goal is to achieve the task of law enforcement through community participation and engagement and improving the image of the police in the communities. She suggested that there should be more of a police presence on the ground using the combat approach, highlighted during the holiday seasons in Plett and surrounding areas.
An example was the operations last week which saw the police close down unlicensed liquor outlets and drug dens.
She said during the 16 Days of Activism in December she had an opportunity to meet with senior citizens in the Crags and New Horizons communities and found there was a strong element of moral regeneration among them.
"If we can use our senior citizens to help guide our younger community members it's going to add towards working towards good crime prevention and a crime-free society."
The proud new station commander of the Plettenberg Bay Police Station, Col Nondumiso Nomlala-Nqaphi
Public co-operation
She said citizens of Plett could assist in combatting crime by taking basic steps. These include basic property safety by locking doors and not leaving valuable items in sight of would-be criminals when out driving.
She said when people arrive in "this lovely environment" they appear to go into a holiday mode, leaving vehicles open and valuable items in the open. These become a temptation and an attraction to crime, according to Nomlala-Nqaphi.
"We want people to be more cautious and guard their assets," she said. Another aspect of crime in Plett is fraud committed through phishing for information about banking details. Be alert and do not get duped, is Nomlala-Nqaphi's advice.
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