Beaufort West draft safety plan to tackle crime, gangs and drugs holistically

Statement by Dan Plato, Western Cape Minister of Community Safety

The Policing Needs and Priorities (PNP) determination workshop held for the Beaufort West police cluster this weekend produced a draft safety plan aimed at tackling local crime problems, as well as issues of gangsterism and drug abuse, holistically by the various role-players involved.

A key aspect of the draft safety plan drawn up identifies the partnerships necessary between those in attendance to prevent young people from dropping out of schools; reduce domestic violence through awareness; and establish safe places for victims and improving victim support.

This is the whole-of-society approach the Western Cape Government believes is crucial to help create safer environments where people live, work and move about.

The workshop held over the weekend was well attended by representatives of the Community Policing Forums (CPFs), Cluster CPF, the South African Police Service (SAPS) from the police stations and the cluster, neighbourhood watches (NHW), non-governmental organisations, community based organisations, community workers, ward committee members, municipal representatives, councillors, and representatives from various Western Cape Government Departments, Victim Empowerment members, and members from the Department of Justice.

I am confident that the cluster CPF, after formally adopting the draft safety plan, will successfully drive the implementation of the plan with the SAPS and the support of the Department of Community Safety.

Safety is everyone’s responsibility and the draft Safety Plan provides a shared ownership, responsibility and accountability to safety, not only for the communities who are served by the plan but between the various safety role players involved as well.