{"id":193903,"date":"2018-12-19T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-19T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/193903\/building-bridges-this-festive-season\/"},"modified":"2018-12-18T21:19:07","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T19:19:07","slug":"building-bridges-this-festive-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2018\/12\/19\/building-bridges-this-festive-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Building bridges this festive season"},"content":{"rendered":"

The sound of children\u2019s laughter filled the corridors of the Germiston Police Station, last Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Germiston SAPS officers and members of the Germiston SAPS Victim Empowerment Centre held a fun-filled, festive Christmas party for 150 underprivileged children from Good Hope informal settlement, Driehoek and Dukathole Extensions Five and Nine.<\/p>

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Guests were treated to breakfast, lunch, a selection of snacks and sweets and lots of different fun activities, including a selection of jumping castles sponsored by local company Johnson Matthey.<\/p>\n

The day was not only about fun but also included gifts for the children, who were aged between five and 14 years old, as part of a shoebox project.<\/p>

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The boxes included a selection of goodies like stationery, toiletries, sweets and a special gift.<\/p>\n

Const Queen Sibeko (Germiston SAPS Social Crime Prevention Unit) explained how the children were selected.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe children, who are either orphans or come from disadvantaged backgrounds, were identified by the teachers at their schools or the community leaders within their different communities,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

ALSO READ: Germiston police open safe house on Mandela Day<\/a><\/h4>\n

This is the third year the station has hosted the event, which was initiated by Germiston SAPS station commander Brig Nkhensani Lemba.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor some of these children this is the only present they will receive this Christmas, while for others it is the first Christmas they have ever received something,\u201d Lemba said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur hope with this project is that we can reach out to the children when they are still young to build a firm relationship between them and the police and change their thinking about crime.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope this will prevent them from turning to a life of crime in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lemba further stated it was important for police to be involved in the community and to do things for the community they serve.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany community members believe the police are only there to arrest them.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy reaching out to the community and helping them we hope they will see us in a different light and, in turn, reach out to us and be our eyes and ears and inform us about crime,\u201d said Lemba.<\/p>\n

The day\u2019s sponsors – Johnson Matthey, Malco, Germiston SAPS Victim Empowerment Centre, Germiston CPF, Bertha Gxowa Hospital Care Centre and the Department of Community Safety – were thanked for their role in the project.<\/p>\n