Some background:
In 2006 Susan de Lange; head of Kempton Park at the time, accompanied Pastor André Roodt and a team to Argentina to look at a model used where local Police and Correctional Centres have seen a drop of 50% in crime re-offending in their country.
During 2007 a Prayer Room was built at Kempton Park Police Station and a 10 point plan implemented where within one year they saw a drop of 50% in crime.
The then Commissioner of Gauteng could not believe the results and started to recommend all stations get their local churches involved.
Today Susan de Lange, because of her success has been promoted to General in charge of the Gauteng Police Department.
At Present we strive to keep the Prayer Room alive and active. Prayer Walks are conducted on a monthly basis where the police and the community walk the streets of Kempton Park praying at problem areas. We challenged the new heads of stations in Gauteng to buy into the 10 point plan. The current head at Kempton Park, Brigadier Sam Maredi, has publicly declared that his station will stay the model for Gauteng.
The 10 Point Plan
Project Light House for Police
Requirements for a station who would like “Lighthouse” status:
- The Station Commander must do a two day Walking in Victory training course.
- He/she must openly declare that their station is a crime free and bribe free station.
- Identify at least 20 key people from their station to attend the Walking in Victory Course every year to keep the “fire” going in the station.
- Must be a part of prayer times; Praying at hot spots and do prayer drives with the local church intercessors and/or pastors who would like to join in.
- Establish a Prayer Room at the police station for staff and churches to fill prayer slots over a 24 hour period every day.
- To have a prayer book in the Prayer Room for prayer requests or offer prayer to anybody entering the police station.
- Meet with other Police Commanders once a month who are participating in the project. Mainly to pray for one another and give feedback on progress and possible advise to bring crime statistics down to a record low.
- Appoint a staff member to run the Prayer Room with an appointed person from a local church to set up a 24/7 prayer initiative to pray for the police and the local community.
- The police commander and staff to be willing to pray with the local pastors at least once a month at the prayer room.
- They will have one year to bring their crime status down by 50%. With this achievement they will receive a “Light” and a plaque, stating that their station has “Light House” status. If they bring it down in a shorter period of time; it must stay at a 50% low for three consecutive months to keep the status.
Light House status can also be lost. If crime does not stay below 50% of the Gauteng percentages, the station will have a period of three months to get it down again and get back their Light House status.