Durban - EThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said yesterday that it was of concern that seven police stations from Durban feature among the 30 police stations in the country where the most murders have been reported.
Kaunda was speaking at the two-day anti-crime and social cohesion summit at the Durban Exhibition Centre.
A national integrated safer cities programme roadmap was unveiled by Major-General Thokozani Mathonsi.
Kaunda said that the resolutions of the summit must be implemented this month so that members of the public can feel safe during the festive season.
“We are concerned that according to the crime stats released recently, seven police stations from eThekwini feature in the top 30 police stations in the country where the most murders have been reported. This can’t be acceptable.”
He added that it had to be acknowledged that police had resource challenges. “We do know there is a shortage of police vans and police personnel and in some instances equipment. In these situations we can’t blame police officers for shortcomings. However, I want to stress that we want to address these issues and this should not mean police can’t make a difference with their limited resources, it also depends on how you manage your limited resources.”
Mathonsi, who is nation head of Social Crime Prevention and Visible Policing, said that the purpose of the roadmap was to aim for a crime-free environment.
“People will always tell you that you will always have crime but it’s a vision that we must have. It won’t be achieved overnight but something we can aspire to. Economic development will not happen unless we address the issue of crime and safety. We have to address the safety element first before economic investment is secured.”
He added that the road map would take four years to implement and would be rolled out this year.
“Cities that we have targeted with this road map include eThekwini, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.”
He said the plan had phases, including the first preparatory phase where a governance structure would have to be built, followed by an assessment of crime hot spots and then the introduction of technology including CCTV.
“Fifty percent of these crime hot spots need to be covered by cameras in the next two years. By having these CCTV cameras we will be working together with private security and metro police where whoever is closer to a crime they can respond first.
“We are hopeful that by 2026, 100% of all hot spot areas will be covered by CCTV cameras and drone technology enabling law enforcement to respond quicker to crime.”