Cape Town - The provincial Community Safety department has drafted an anti-gang strategy in line with the national strategy, the department’s chief director, Yashina Pillay said on Tuesday.
However, Pillay said the strategy was a confidential document, “that has been declared top secret”.
She said the strategy involved all the departments in the province, and that community safety had “developed a partnership with them”.
However, she said the document still needed to be tabled at the provincial cabinet for approval.
The disclosures were made by departmental bosses while briefing the Community Safety portfolio on its policing needs and priorities (PNPs) programme on Tuwaday.
Those present included departmental director Amanda Dissel, head of department, Gideon Morris, deputy director Theresha Hanekom and Pillay.
Bonteheuwel ward councillor Angus McKenzie said the critical part in a strategy was dealing with the most important things such bringing back the 4000 police officers moved from the Cape and focus on hots pots.
“The strategy needs to speaks to every sector of the society. All the provincial departments need to speak towards the goal of a strategy from neighbourhood watches, community policing forums and community-based organisations,” McKenzie said.
Delft community policing forum chairperson, Charles George, said government must partner with the communities and make an action plan regarding their strategy.
George said communities needed equipment for sports and wi-fi spots, “to keep our youngsters busy so that they deviate from gangs and drugs.
“They need to make sure that they inject technology in crime-fighting”.
If approved by the cabinet, the provincial anti-gang strategy will follow the deployment of soldiers to the streets of the city’s gang-ridden communities and the Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) strategy both launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa and Police Minister Bheki Cele. However, some residents were still unsatisfied and questioning the impact of the soldiers and AGU in their areas.
Pillay said the department aimed to ensure that the provincial policing needs had an impact on policing policy.
“Since there is no predetermined manner for determining PNPs, the department is continually striving to find an optimal way to determine those.”
She said in 2018/19 the focus was on gender-based crimes, drugs and commuter safety.
“In 2017/18 we focused on reviewing policing policy plans,” Pillay said.
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