A key intervention proposed at the North West Department of Public Safety's stakeholders workshop on the Integrated Provincial Strategy to Prevent and Combat Sexual Offences held earlier this week in Ratlou Local Municipality is that the Provincial Liquor Board should review issuing of additional liquor licenses.
The proposal is in line with the moral regeneration initiative and is also meant to among others address the contribution of liquor towards sexual offences and gender based violence. A further proposal was that municipalities should develop and or strengthen their by-laws to address abuse of alcohol in their communities.
Implementation of the Crime Prevention through Environment Design(CPTED) Strategy was deemed necessary to eliminate crime hotspots.
Stakeholders that included councillors, traditional leaders, the business sector, Non-government organisations and sector departments from government welcomed the reestablishment of the Family Child and Sexual Offences Units by the South African Police Service (SAPS) at cluster level and the increase on the Forensic Social Workers to improve quality of statements for sexual offences.
The SAPS has trained all detectives on sexual offences and included it on the Detective learning programmes and trained 40 members on sign language to improve service towards victims who use sign language.
Peer educators also proposed extension of the adopt a cop programme for implementation in Tshidilamolomo village to address challenges of sexual offences and family violence experienced among learners.
Non reporting, late reporting and withdrawal of cases were highlighted by SAPS as still challenges that needed to be addressed through education, advocacy of the victim’s rights which include among others the right to be treated with dignity, respect and privacy as well as the right to protection, assistance, retribution and compensation.
North West MEC for Public Safety, Howard Yawa has welcomed SAPS’ plan to operate the established Thuthuzela Care Centre Model at Bophelong Provincial Hospital on a 24 hours seven days a week basis with other sister departments.
MEC Yawa is confident that this will assist the centre to serve its intended purpose of reducing secondary victimisation of victims and reduce cycle of time to finalise cases and improve convictions.
Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele (Departmental Spokesperson)
Tel: 018 381 9171
Cell: 083 629 1987
Fax: 018 381 9123
E-mail: LKgwele@nwpg.gov.za
