Madam Speaker, the answer is yes, the community policing forums are the best vehicle to connect communities with the police, as an expression of the concept of community policing. Put at the centre of that relationship, the CPFs will be given the necessary authority to build and nurture that community-police relationship. We are, therefore, putting in place measures to make the CPFs autonomous bodies that will be responsible to the communities, to mediate between them and the police.
The CPFs will be established through a democratic process, including elections. The functions of the revamped CPFs will include building confidence between the communities and the police, helping to root the police among the people as trusted allies in the fight against crime, determining, together with the police, policing priorities in the given community and assessing police performance on the basis of those priorities.
The CPFs will be resourced by the government and members will receive training for better management and effective communication with all stakeholders. Thank you.