Effective policing and social crime prevention programmes are making Gauteng a safer place, but there is still a lot to be done, said Community Safety MEC Firoz Cachalia on Monday.
”Levels of crime are still too high so we cannot announce victory yet,” he said at a media briefing in Johannesburg.
Cachalia said that in the last financial year, 1 335 new police personnel had been deployed in Gauteng.
”The provincial government plans to develop priorities specific to the province and identify the needs and priorities of the province in relation to crime,” he said.
He said a strong focus in months ahead would be the problem of drugs in schools which was identified as an area which needs improving ”especially through the co-ordination of focus areas and progress”.
”We want to encourage pupils to report any matter concerning drugs to the police or even the department. Every complaint will be investigated,” said Cachalia.
Intelligence-led policing has also contributed significantly to fighting organised crime.
In the past year police seized drugs to the value of R9 076,152.
Cachalia says that schools provide a particular market for suppliers of drugs and principals are not sure how to deal with pupils behaving like criminals.
”It is outrageous that criminals are targeting the school system,” he said.
There has been a decrease in serious and violent crime with hijackings dropping by 23%. There has also been an increased conviction rate of 16,3% in these serious and violent crimes.
Cachalia also said that 114 police officers had been arrested for corruption.
Cachalia said that increased awareness by communities has increased the amount of crimes against women and children that are reported by 1,8%, which led to an increased conviction rate in these cases by 22,7%.
He said that government’s plans to fight crime were beginning to bear fruit but it was important to co-ordinate the different law enforcement agencies and to improve the way different governmental departments co-ordinate in areas of shared concern. – Sapa