GEORGE NEWS - A gradual increase in contact crimes, in which women and children were mostly the victims, has been noticed in the district. This is according to the Eden Police Cluster commander, Major-General Oswald Reddy.
He spoke on day two of an anti-crime workshop hosted by the Eden Police Cluster, the Department of Community Safety (Docs) and the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM),
"In most cases, either the victim or the offender was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It is for this reason that we thought it best to utilise the Western Cape Government's Alcohol Harms Reduction Game Changer programme to build social cohesion and resilience among community members," he said.
Lynn Stoker from Knysna Initiative for Learning and Teaching (Kilt) facilitated a session on Alcohol Harms Reduction and posed three questions to the audience members: What is causing the excessive usage of alcohol within our community, what resources are there in the community that can potentially mitigate these causes, and what is the action plan going forward?
Following these questions groups discussed problem areas and identified root causes of alcohol misuse and produced workable and executable action plans.
Anna-Marie Muller from the DG Murray Trust presented their views and research about Early Childhood Development (ECD) and presented the World Health Organisation's framework for helping children survive and thrive to transform health and human potential.
The guiding principles include good health, adequate nutrition, responsive care-giving, security and safety, and opportunities for early learning.
Garden Route District Municipality representatives at the two-day workshop, from left: Cllr Joslyn Johnson (portfolio: Property Management and Development), Richard Dyantyi (manager: EPWP, Rural Development and Job Creation), Cllr Jennifer Hartnick, Siphiwe Dladla (chief of staff) and Cllr Erica Meyer (chairperson: Strategic Services).
Members of the Knysna Initiative for Learning and Teaching played a vital role in the final part of the workshop when action plans were developed. Lynn Stoker (centre) facilitated the session.
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