GovernmentNews

Premier Panyaza takes on crime head-on

When the Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi announced his new Cabinet of Executive Members, the MEC for one of the ten portfolios was not mentioned, the Department of Community Safety.

That is because Lesufi has moved the Department of Community Safety to, the Office of the Premier.

“The fight against crime is going to be the centre of the seventh administration. We are migrating this responsibility to the Office of the Premier so that we can lead and champion the fight against crime, corruption and lawlessness,” said Premier Lesufi.

He said the seventh administration’s agenda is to protect the weak, the poor and vulnerable members of society and that would be best executed when led from the Office of the Premier.

The mission of the Gauteng Department of Community Safety is to enhance public
safety in the province.

Through various agencies and initiatives, the department aims to foster working relations betweenthe police and communities. Community Policing Forums (CPFs) play a crucialrole in this aspect by bringing the people and police together.

These initiatives include Community Policing Forums (CPFs), Youth Desks, Men as Safety Promoters, GBVBrigades, and more.

“We strongly believe that the utilisation of creative ways of technology, innovation and the increase of personnel to fight crime in our province must be a priority. If there is one priority for the seventh administration and the government of Gauteng in the next five years, it’s our relentless efforts to confront and fight crime head on,” he said.

Earlier this year, the provincial government launched the Gauteng ePanic Button in Sebokeng, Sedibeng District.

The ePanic Button project is one of the Gauteng Provincial Government’s initiatives that ensures a timeous response, from law enforcement agencies and security companies, on crime incidences reported.

In addition, Gauteng government has been deploying advanced technologies, including high-quality CCTV cameras capable of recognising facial features in key community areas.

To date, a total of 144 CCTV cameras have been installed in high-crime areas across the province.

The cameras have been used to monitor crime hotspots. To complement existing CCTV cameras, the provincial government will add 10 000 cameras (6000 from Vuma Intel, and 4000 from SANRAL) during current (2024-2025) financial year.

The province further introduced and employed thousands of Gauteng Traffic Wardens.

An earlier report on the recruitment of military veterans to become traffic wardens.

The wardens have received extensive basic training. Some were trained by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) at its military base.

The wardens are deployed on a 24/7 shift basis in different wards and crime hotspots under the supervision of SAPS, Gauteng Traffic and Metro Police Departments.

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