Amid concerns about serious crime escalating beyond control in Macassar, authorities have taken hands with spiritual leaders to boost efforts in the fight against crime.
Church representatives attended a meeting which was hosted under the banner of Spiritual Crime Prevention Macassar, held at the New Civic Centre on Sunday (14 August).
Lieutenant Colonel Markus Mbangu, Macassar police station commander, welcomed all in attendance and explained that ridding the community of crime is everyone’s responsibility, including that of spiritual leaders who can help make a positive change. “We have invited all of the spiritual leaders from various religions. Spiritual crime prevention is very important because crime is not the responsibility of the police alone.
“Spiritual leaders can see what is going on in the neighbourhoods. They can connect with people and reach out. Something that the police can’t do because once they see an officer in uniform, they tend to be difficult. So we are taking hands with spiritual leaders to fight crime.”
Pastor Henry Swartz, a representative of the Macassar Community Policing Forum (CPF), said committing crime starts at a spiritual level, from within a person.
“Crime is within us as human beings. It is in our behaviour patterns. It starts from within; with a thought and then the crimes are committed. We as preachers don’t use the word crime or criminals, we use the word sin. We must attack crime from a spiritual level as pastors, priests and imams,” implored Swartz.
He said the meeting was arranged to see how many spiritual leaders would show up and form part of a committee dedicated to taking on crime.
Fellow Macassar CPF representative Rhoda-Ann Bazier, who chaired the meeting, said crime does not ask who you are or where you’re from. “At a previous CPF meeting we received figures that there are currently 79 parolees in Macassar. They belong to a certain church and family. The bottom line is society does not accept you because you have committed a crime. That is why we need to have religious leaders on board to connect with these people and their families and to find out how we can help them.”
She said that of the 181 churches that were invited, only 11 churches’ representatives attended the meeting.
Ward 109 councillor Peter Helfrich labelled the idea to involve faith-based organisations as stakeholders in the fight against crime as “brilliant”.
“I have always said that we need a whole of society approach to fight crime effectively and I, for this reason, welcome this initiative. However, it will be amiss of me to not say this initiative cannot be effective if police do not play their part.”
An interim committee under the leadership of Swartz was selected to push forward spiritual crime prevention in Macassar. A permanent committee will be elected tomorrow (Thursday 18 August).
