It’s not a big police station, yet it covers a large area, has many challenges and always goes the extra mile for the town.
Its hard work and dedication have paid off and the Grabouw South African Police Service Station has been awarded the prestigious title of Best Colonel (Level 12) Station in the Western Cape at the provincial Excellence Awards Ceremony held on Friday 17 January.
The recognition honours the collective efforts of the entire Grabouw Police personnel, including management, commissioned officers, visible policing commanders, detective units, support staff, reservists and interns.
Station commander Col Wilfred Coetzee praised the achievement, calling the award “a testament to your hard work, dedication and unwavering commitment to serving our community with excellence.”
The award recognises stations led by colonel-level commanders and evaluates performance across multiple policing functions, including crime prevention, detective services, community engagement and administrative efficiency.
“Your ability to work collaboratively, tackle challenges and maintain high standards of teamwork has not gone unnoticed,” the station commander stated in the congratulatory message. “The efforts you have put forth in your duties reflect the highest values of our police station and you have truly set an example for others to follow.”
The Excellence Award Ceremony forms part of the annual Western Cape Police Service’s recognition programme, which honours outstanding performance and service delivery across police stations in the province. Stations are evaluated on criteria including crime reduction statistics, community satisfaction, operational efficiency and professional conduct.
“This achievement not only highlights your individual talents but also underscores the strength of the personnel of Grabouw police station,” Coetzee noted. “I am proud to lead such capable personnel who demonstrate professionalism and a deep commitment to serve and protect our communities.”
This achievement not only highlights your individual talents but also underscores the strength of the personnel of Grabouw police station.
The award comes during a period of increased focus on rural policing in agricultural areas of the Western Cape, where police stations face unique challenges including farm attacks, seasonal labour issues, and vast geographical areas to patrol.
Grabouw’s recognition as the top-performing colonel-level station reflects the coordinated efforts across all departments within the station. This includes the visible-policing commander, detective commander, section commanders overseeing finance, supply-chain management and human resource management as well as shift commanders and frontline personnel.
Coetzee used the achievement as motivation for continued excellence, stating: “As we celebrate this accomplishment let it serve as motivation to continue striving for excellence in our mission to protect and serve our community.”
This recognition places Grabouw police among the province’s top-performing police stations and highlights the effectiveness of collaborative policing approaches in rural communities.
Col Gustaf Tamboer, station commander of the Hermanus police, also congratulated his colleagues on Facebook: “You deserve it, Grabouw police. Congratulations and well done. Sustain your performance and even better it. You made us proud in the Overberg District.”
• AC Patrick Mogodla of the Bredasdorp police was the runner-up in the category Administration Employee of the Year, level 5-7. “We are very proud of him and that we as station can be associated with him,” the station stated.
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