Date: 30/03/2007

Source: Gauteng Provincial Government

Title: Cachalia: Launch of Gauteng Safety Strategy and 'Take Charge' Campaign

Speech by Gauteng MEC for Community Safety Firoz Cachalia at the launch of the Gauteng Safety Strategy and the 'Take Charge' Campaign, Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication, Kliptown

Premier Mbhazima Shilowa
Deputy Minister of Safety and Security
Members of the Executive Council
Mayors
Members of mayoral committees responsible for public safety
Members of the Provincial Legislature
Councillors
Heads of departments
Representatives of sectors
Comrades and friends

Introduction

As we gather here at Freedom Square once more in this place of memory and of hope, this monument to humanity's striving for freedom, it is appropriate that we should reaffirm our commitment to democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights. And we must make the connection, as did our forbearers, between the idea of freedom and our need for security. The high levels of crime and fear of crime that we are currently experiencing is incompatible with the enjoyment of the freedoms that we have struggled for. But just as we have overcome injustice in the past so can we now through collective action overcome crime and violence. As the Premier Mbhazima Shilowa said recently, "The building of a society where all individuals, households and communities enjoy a good quality of life because they live, work and travel in a law governed society free from fear, violence and crime is a goal that we must all work together to achieve."

Although we may sometimes feel overwhelmed by our fear, we should draw strength from our hopes and our capacity to act. Many people in many communities across the province in Naledi and in Sebokeng, in Meadowlands and in Parkview are already taking their future into their own hands by working with the police to fight crime. Leaders of civil society, religious communities and the business sector have entered into discussions with the national government in order to make a constructive contribution. South Africans of Italian origin have made a commitment to renovate 10 police stations in Gauteng and an announcement on this initiative will be made soon.

The 'Take Charge' campaign has received expressions of support from Kaizer Chiefs and our national cricket team the Proteas. Tomorrow I will be addressing rugby supporters at Ellis Park at the game between the Lions and the Australian team 'the Brumbies.' In the lead up to this event we consulted with over 300 organisations across the province. We are in fact living through a unique moment in our country's history when the possibilities for united action against crime are unprecedented.

Today in Kliptown, on 30 March 2007, the Gauteng Provincial Government is launching its provincial safety strategy. The strategy recognises that the provision of safety and security is in the first instance the responsibility of the government as a whole and of the law enforcement agencies. National, provincial and local government must therefore work together in a concerted, focused and effective way to improve levels of public safety.

The Gauteng Safety Strategy

It has long been recognised internationally that crime in highly urbanised regions around the world such as Gauteng occurs as a result of the complex interplay of various social, economic and historical factors such as poverty and inequality, family breakdown, the availability of firearms and the abuse of drugs and alcohol. While these factors may explain, they can never justify violent crime.

Since crime is a multifaceted phenomenon that manifests in different ways in different places there is no single solution or 'magic bullet' that will result in sudden and sustained reductions in crime. What is required is a comprehensive and integrated strategy as well as co-ordinated action by national, provincial and local governments.

The pillars of the comprehensive and integrated crime reduction strategy adopted by our provincial government are:

* improving the quality of policing
* promoting effective social crime prevention initiatives
* strengthening institutional arrangements to better understand and respond to crime in an integrated manner
* encouraging community participation in crime reduction.

Take Charge Campaign

Today, we are also launching the 'Take Charge' campaign as part of our determined effort to address the challenges related to improving public safety. The campaign seeks to revitalise and strengthen Community Policing Forums (CPFs), mobilise civil society and stakeholders and people of all political persuasions and backgrounds to act in support of the agencies of law enforcement and in partnership with government to fight crime.

In launching this campaign government seeks only to act as an initiator and facilitator. The 'Take Charge' campaign provides a framework for grassroots, decentralised and localised initiatives to take root as part of a provincial wide effort.

This campaign also aims to strengthen the bonds of trust between the community and the police. This can only be achieved however, by improving the way in which policing is experienced by communities and the quality of the service they receive. This campaign will increase the intensity of public scrutiny of the police. As a service in a democratic society, the police should welcome this as a positive source of organisational transformation. I will be meeting with all police station commissioners to discuss ways of improving performance and service delivery to communities.

However, it is also important for communities to provide support and recognition for the courageous and professional work carried out by police officers in the interests of their safety. We should remind ourselves today of the recent killing of two young constables Mmakwena Manoko and Monawabisi Mbelekwana.

In recognition of outstanding service we will today honour 20 police officers, eight metro police officers and two traffic law enforcement officers from the Department of Community Safety.

The 'Take Charge' campaign also seeks by engaging with individuals, families and communities to address those issues that have a negative impact on levels of public safety and which cannot be effectively resolved through better service delivery by government departments and more effective law enforcement alone. Child abuse, domestic violence, criminality in schools, the abuse of alcohol and its impact on crime and road safety, drug abuse, corruption in law enforcement agencies and other public services challenge us all as parents, educators and community leaders to examine our norms, values and behaviour.

To improve safety in our communities:

* we must adhere to rules and respect the rule of law
* report crime, not offer bribes and blow the whistle on corruption
* expose criminals in our families and communities
* not buy stolen goods
* protect our children through responsible parenting.

The 'Take Charge' campaign, to have a meaningful impact on crime must be a campaign of rolling mass action. In the coming months the Gauteng Department of Community Safety will:

Provide additional support to CPFs to assist them to engage their communities, to partner with the police and to develop localised responses in each precinct. We have already developed guidelines for CPFs and this year we will be invading accredited training at a university for elected CPF members. The Department will provide support for two public meetings per CPF as part of the 'Take Charge' campaign this year. We encourage leaders in community based organisations (CBOs) and leaders to provide support to CPFs. These should include shop stewards, educators, religious and other community leaders and those with professional skills.

In further support of CPFs, patroller groups will be launched in 26 areas. These volunteers will be provided with suitable accredited training, equipment, transport and food. I want to stress that the patrollers do not have policing powers and are required to act at all times within the framework of the law. They will be deployed at 'hot-spots' under the supervision of the police to protect people on the way to and from work, children on their way to and from school, elderly people collecting a pension or people as they go about their daily business in public spaces. These patrollers will reduce the opportunities for predatory crime. This programme has been developed on the basis of the proven success of patroller groups and similar neighbourhood watch initiatives in places like, Alexandra, Everton, Mamelodi, Naledi and Sebokeng. The Department of Community Safety is simply extending this programme to areas with inadequate resources so that they also benefit from this tried and tested volunteer model. The Department would like to encourage similar initiatives where necessary across the province.

In April we will be launching a toll free telephone 'hot-line' which can be used to report service delivery complaints against the police, as well as to provide information on crime and criminal activity in your community on an anonymous basis. This information will be passed on to the police for action.

We recognise the importance of sectoral mobilisation. Since September last year we have been holding sector specific crime summits with sectors including the youth, gender, business, labour, faith based organisations (FBOs), hostel communities, sports organisations and non-government organisations (NGOs). Each sector has been encouraged to develop their own campaigns to reduce crime. We also want to encourage business organisations to provide support to community based anti-crime initiatives.

We have also noted the success that partnerships with stakeholders can have. Examples include the partnership between the police and organisations such as Business Against Crime and the South African Bank Risk Centre (SABRIC) to tackle business relate robberies. We have also used this approach to achieve success against the problem of taxi violence. We will be seeking to extend this approach in addressing other types of priority crimes such as house and business robberies.

Conclusion

The time has come to stand up and 'Take Charge! Sekunjalo, the time is now! Together we can fight crime in our communities, our province and our country. Amandla awethu, all power to the people.

Thank you!

Issued by: Department of Community Safety, Gauteng Provincial Government
30 March 2007