Mountain Rise SAPS Warrant Officer Joshua Maistry retires

After 30 years of dedicated service to SAPS and his community, Mountain Rise Saps Communication Officer, Warrant Officer Maistry is retiring.

Over and above fighting crime and keeping his community protected and informed, Maistry dedicated his career to empowering and educating his community through a number of community projects and initiatives.

Maistry studied at the SAPS Pretoria Training College and started at Mountain Rise on January 12, 1994. He was 24-years-old and followed his passion to serve and protect the community.

His first post was at the charge office, where he conducted frontline service delivery, served as a van driver and attended to complaints.

With his vast knowledge and experience he was transferred to the business watch section, tracing unit, victim support, logistics, and social crime prevention.

His career path in SAPS took direction in 2000 when he transferred to be the station’s corporate communications officer and youth crime prevention desk coordinator.

This department allowed for Maistry’s passion to grow and gave him the opportunity to embark on and implement community crime awareness projects on a monthly basis. These projects gained momentum by networking with relevant stakeholders in the city, including government departments, non-governmental organisations, faith based organisations and community based organisations and structures. Through this networking, they were able to cement partnerships in the united fight against crime.

Maistry was responsible for conducting a number of projects relating to drug awareness, sexual offences, domestic violence, gender-based violence, stranger danger, petty thieving, on a monthly basis in the primary and secondary schools in the Mountain Rise policing area.

Other community projects he was involved in include feeding schemes and the distribution of safety and crime prevention pamphlets that were conducted timeously in the community and CBD. This was also done with the help of external roleplayers to assist the youth, and vulnerable victims.

Maistry wants to continue to assist in crime fighting while spending time with his family.

“I will be spending time with my family. We are also embarking on a family business. My intention is to continue to unite with relevant stakeholders in the fight against crime. The station’s youth crime prevention desk will be co-opting me in order to share my skills and knowledge to this forum. I will also network with various community safety structures in the Northern suburbs such as Assist Me Now Responders to share my skills, knowledge and experience with them to better serve the community,” he said.

Maistry said that it has been a long and rewarding journey and he is thankful for the support and guidance from his peers.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank my station commander, Brigadier Boxer Pillay, who has been a real mentor to me in the area of corporate communications and social crime prevention. There are many other officers and members at the station that have positively impacted me in my police career. In addition, I would like to thank the relevant stakeholders and community members that I have partnered with in community crime awareness projects. I thank and appreciate all of you for your support and assistance,” he said.

To my immediate family members (Ravesh, Durant, Sherante, Durisha & Brayton ) I am thankful and appreciate all the love, support and assistance that enabled me to fulfill my role as a professional within the South African

Police Service,” said Maistry.

Maistry, who has a great love for his faith, said he prayed before deciding to retire.

“It was a prayerful decision. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my Heavenly Father for (30) years of faithful pensionable service as a police officer. It’s been a long journey and I want to thank God for all the accolades that I received over the years in the SAPS. I look forward to the new chapter and journey in my life, which is working together with my immediate family and working for my heavenly father in his kingdom,” said Maistry.