George Community Safety Forum launched

GEORGE NEWS - George Municipality launched a Community Safety Forum (CSF) for George at the banquetting hall last week, hosting representatives from the Department of Community Safety, South African Police Service (SAPS), the Department of Correctional Services, Department of Social Development (DSD), and Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM).

The George Municipality, together with these entities, coordinates all CSF activities.

Community safety forums are designed to create a platform for coordination, integration, and implementation of multi-sectoral crime prevention and community safety initiatives.

Opening the proceedings, Deputy Mayor Raybin Figland said the launch symbolised a significant milestone in the community’s combined efforts to tackle the increasing crime rate in our city.

“The municipality is committed to partnering with all law enforcement agencies, neighbourhood watches, the community and other departments to ensure our city remains a safe haven for all residents and visitors.”

Figland said in the last financial year a huge investment was made in security infrastructure such as CCTV cameras and the municipality intends to provide further funding for the recruitment and training of more law enforcement officials to assist in reducing crime within the next financial year.

Vuyani Mbaqa from the Directorate Community Police in the Western Cape Department of Community Safety did a presentation on national, provincial and local government priorities.

Mbaqa said local government plays a key role in safety, crime and violence prevention and explained how local law enforcement, targeted programmes for youth, and traffic and disaster management are just some of the many ways local government impacts on the community and can strengthen it to reduce crime.

Col Lionel Kennedy from Garden Route District SAPS fielded a lot of questions from the floor and gave clarity and insight into the activities of the police. One of the issues raised from the floor was possible remuneration for community police forums that put their lives at risk in combatting crime.

Adv Han-Marié Marshall from Police Oversight and Community Safety in the Department of Community Safety said remuneration of some sort is still under scrutiny by her department.

“But it is a tough one, since membership of a CPF is so unpredictable. Some members will stay for years and others only for a week or a few months.”

Cllr Charlotte Clarke, portfolio councillor for community safety at George Municipality, appealed to younger people to join community police forums.

The rest of the panel members were Mzwandile Hewu, chief director of Community and Partnership Development from the DSD, Adv Han-Marié Marshall from Police Oversight and Community Safety in the Department of Community Safety, Simphiwe Dladla, chief of staff at GRDM, Nkosiyabo Lose from GRDM, Lynette Groenewald, town and regional planner from the Directorate of Planning, Human Settlements and Development at George Municipality and George municipal manager Dr Michele Gratz.

The formation of a steering committee for the CSF will be handled remotely and introduced later.

Gratz suggested that the committee create a strategy and come forward with solutions. “The committee is encouraged to develop a roadmap of what milestones they wish to achieve and the relevant timelines.”

She said feedback from the steering committee will have to come back to the forum. She emphasised that representatives from education, members from the community or community police forums and the business sector should form part of the committee.

Members from faith-based organisations, government sectors, George municipal councillors and community police forums were well represented at the event.

The panel at the launch of the Community Safety Forum for George are, from left, front: Cllr Charlotte Clarke, portfolio councillor for Community Safety at George Municipality, Dr Michele Gratz, George municipal manager and Adv Han-Marié Marshall from Police Oversight and Community Safety in the Department of Community Safety. Back: Nkosiyabo Lose, project coordinator of community safety forums at GRDM, Col Lionel Kennedy from SAPS Garden Route district, George Deputy Mayhor Raybin Figland, Lee-Anne Meiring, facilitator at the event and manager of Development Facilitation at Planning, Human Settlements and Development, George Municipality, Vuyani Mbaqa from the Directorate Community Police in the Western Cape Department of Community Safety, and Mzwandile Hewu, chief director of Community and Partnership Development from the Department of Social Development.

Adv Han-Marié Marshall from Police Oversight and Community Safety in the Department of Community Safety presents George municipal manager Dr Michele Gratz and Deputy Mayor Figland with a certificate to confirm the establishment of the George Community Safety Forum.

Officials from George Municipality, Garden Route District Municipality, Department of Community Safety and the Department of Social Development that were integral in the organising and coordinating of the event, from left: Busisiwe Jacobs, Mzwandile Hewu, Lauren Louw, Vuyani Mbaqa, Sharon Steenkamp and G Nkosiyabo.