T Mhlahlo: Community Police Forum Indaba

28 February 2007

Fighting crime together for peace

The resolutions from various commissions clearly depict the commitment
showed by all delegates during the deliberations process.

I would like to commend all of you for the sterling work that you have done
as a collective as mandated by your constituencies.

Before I proceed with my address, I would like to take this opportunity to
congratulate the new CPF provincial board for developing the strategic plan
document that will guide their work during the first phase of their term.

This document reflects the vision that you have as a collective in a quest
to ensure that there is peace, security and comfort in this province.

It is now clear that you are all ready to embark on a "war against crime"
and make the Eastern Cape a compelling place to live, work and invest in.

The remaining task is for all of us to engage in a process of extensive
mobilisation of our communities against crime as instructed by the President of
South Africa.

Our strategic goal is to secure a condition where human security is matched
by issues of development, co-operation and peace.

Strengthening communities

Guided by the Provincial Crime Prevention Strategy (PCPS), it is clear that
we need to do more work in strengthening our community participation.

We come out of this indaba with a mandate to:
* promote moral regeneration and ubuntu
* restore family and community values
* assist people who have been in conflict with the law, particularly the youth,
within the context of restorative justice
* promote multi agency collaboration against crime.

The Department of Safety and Liaison, Department of Social Development,
Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Department of
Correctional Services are at your disposal for you to achieve this mandate.

Organs of civil society which include churches, sport bodies, youth
structures, women's organisations, business, community-based organisation
(CBOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are there to add value to your
work.

We expect this process to unfold in the next five years in line with the
timeframes of the PCPS and 29 police stations have been identified for the
pilot phase of this approach.

Community police relations

It is evident that we need to do more in order to strengthen these relations
through ensuring that CPFs are well equipped to undertake their task.

Despite the fact that the South African Police Service (SAPS) Act of 1995
describes CPFs as volunteers, it further makes provision for the police to
avail "resources" for these structures to do their work.

We need to strengthen our guidelines on how best can we ensure that CPF
members get the necessary resources and support.

While this matter is being debated nationally, I believe that the
intervention of the business community, churches and NGOs remains critical for
CPFs to continue with their good work.

The Department of Safety and Liaison will embark on a process of engaging
the business sector and sensitise them about the importance of their
contribution in this "united front against crime".

Some business organisations are on board, the private security industry
within the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality has showed interest and I
will be meeting them on Monday, 12 March 2007, in Port Elizabeth.

The Department's mission is to bring on board banks, vehicle manufacturers,
state parastatals, government departments and other role players who stand to
gain out of our anti-crime strategy.

Community tourism safety and 2010

If we talk of African World Cup, we further need to attend to issues of
safety and security today as we prepare ourselves for 2010.

We have to ensure that the province is accessible to all visitors and create
a crime free environment for al our people.

The programme to roll out and accelerate the implementation of the community
safety forum model by the Department of Safety and Liaison, the Department of
Local Government, CPFs and other role players will commence soon.

The main target will be the Nelson Mandela Metro, which is our own host city
for the World Cup and our base cities, Buffalo City and King Sabata
Dalindyebo.

Our approach derives from the principles of co-operative government and
intergovernmental relations as highlighted in the Constitution of South Africa,
which clearly state that all spheres of government and all organs of State
within each sphere, must preserve the peace, national unity and indivisibility
of the republic.

In an attempt to make 2007 a "Year of Massive Mobilisation Against Crime",
the Department of Safety and Liaison will engage the Department of Labour and
the relevant Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) to train community
patrol volunteers.

The Department of Safety and Liaison in consultation with CPFs,
municipalities identified for 2010 FIFA World Cup and the Eastern Cape Youth
Commission, will mobilise the youth to participate in this initiative.

Again, business support will be needed in order to sustain the project until
2010 in order to pave way for peace and stability during the tournament.

In September, the Department will host a Safety and Security Summit for
2010, which will serve as a launching pad of our offensive against crime in
province as we prepare for this international football showpiece.

This summit will be held at the Nelson Mandela Metropole which is our host
city for the tournament.

School safety

I would like to commit the Department of Safety and Liaison to ensure that
we meet the Department of Education and accelerate the process of developing
and implementing safety and security in schools programme as instructed by the
Premier through the State of the Province Address.

In June 2007, we will ensure that we host a Summit on Safety and Security in
Schools which will culminate in the adoption of a programme of action or
implementation plan that would be embraced by all relevant stakeholders.

A project team will be identified and the targeted areas include the Nelson
Mandela Metro, Buffalo City and King Sabata Dalindyebo with a budget of R10
million from the Department of Education.

CPFs must ensure that school safety committees are established in all
Eastern Cape schools.

CPFs must further ensure that the adopt-a-cop, captain crime stop, anti-drug
campaigns and other innovative programmes are implemented in all schools within
their policing precincts, especially in rural areas.

Strengthening the criminal justice system

Again, the PCPS gives guidance on how to approach the challenges that
undermine the integrity of the criminal justice system.

The Eastern Cape Development Committee, which is a structure that
co-ordinates the criminal justice system work, will integrate the participation
of the CPF provincial board.

This committee comprises representatives from the Department of Justice and
Constitutional Development, Department of Safety and Liaison, Department of
Social Development, SAPS, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Chief Magistrates
from district and regional courts, Department of Home Affairs, Legal Aid Board
and Correctional Services.

All of us here must commit ourselves to the promotion of the principle of
upholding the values of our Constitution and continuous respect for the law
enforcement agencies, including the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) at all
levels.

Strategic tasks for the CPFs, 2007

* continue to mobilise our communities especially the youth, against
crime
* reposition the structures in order to respond promptly to the new social
crime prevention strategies
* make inroads in the local government sphere through ward committees and
influence the IDP formulation processes
* assist in the establishment of street committees as instructed by the State
President
* participate in the Community Safety Forums (CSFs)
* popularise the sector policing concept
* embark on a multi stakeholder mobilisation process targeting the business
sector to support crime prevention programmes.

In conclusion,

Let us continue to build the first line of defence especially for the
vulnerable groups in our society including women, children, the elderly and the
physically challenged.

Let us remembers that crime knows no colour, biology and political
differences.

We must all unite against crime!

Thank you!

Issued by: Department of Safety and Liaison, Eastern Cape Provincial
Government
28 February 2007