Bongo Ntshangase
The fight against crime, lawlessness and vandalism is an apex priority for the Gauteng Provincial Government and is supported by an integrated 5-year Gauteng Policing Plan with an increased resource allocation.
To this end, the provincial government increased its crime-fighting budget from R 750 million to over R2.7 billion over the year.
This budget increase has seen Gauteng deploy technology and other sophisticated means to wage war against crime and increase police visibility in crime hotspots across the province especially in Townships, Informal Settlements
and Hostels (TISH).
Some of the sophisticated technology deployed by the provincial government includes drones, which will infiltrate areas that are difficult to patrol and police, face-recognition CCTVs, helicopters, and integrated intelligence centres amongst others.
Our support as the provincial government for the SAPS in ensuring police visibility in all hotspots across the province is unwavering.
To this end, we have recruited and deployed more than 7000 Crime Traffic Wardens. This also aligns with introducing ward-based policing at the local government level.
The wardens are currently receiving various training which includes advanced driving, firearm training (9mm and assault rifle), crowd control, drone operation and Special Weapons and Tactics
(SWAT) training amongst others.
The Gauteng Provincial Government also donated 250 high-powered vehicles to the South African Police Services (SAPS) to enhance crime fighting within communities.
We have also handed over 12 mobile police stations to SAPS to enable people in precincts without police stations to report crimes.
Gauteng’s comprehensive integrated crime prevention plan is anchored on improved access to policing service, improved partnership policing, reduction in identified priority crimes, implementation of e-policing, increasing the human resource capacity and professionalism of law enforcement, deployment of intelligence capacity,improved support and strengthening our fight against gender-based violence (GBV)
and femicide.
The provincial government remains resolute in its efforts to revamp its legislation in three crucial areas: the registration of cars, the elimination of illegal guns, and the need to migrate the province to use less cash in business transactions.
The current number plates system is running out of the numeric and letters. The provincial government wants to take advantage of this situation to introduce new,hard-to-copy and tamper-proof number plates.
The provincial government issued a notice in the Government Gazette last year for consultation and comments on new security features. This new system will also assist in managing the abuse of temporary number plates.
All these crime-prevention programmes are aimed at fostering safer communities in
Gauteng.
Bongo Ntshangase is a Communicator at the Gauteng Office of the Premier.
