F Cachalia on skills development and training

Skills training key in fighting crime, says Cachalia

28 November 2007

Gauteng Community Safety MEC Firoz Cachalia says skills development and
training are a solution in the fight against crime in the province.

Tabling his department's annual report at the Gauteng Legislature on
Tuesday, he said his department would, in this financial year, train 200
Community Policing Forum (CPFs) throughout the province to address the
challenges of skills shortage in the forums.

"In making sure that we reach our set targets of combating crime in the
province, we need to make proper investment in skills and professional training
for our policing forums.

"The needed resources must be provided to these forums so that they perform
their duties without limits of lack of resources," said Cachalia.

He stressed that the social crime prevention was the responsibility
of every citizen and all stakeholders.

In addition, he reiterated the pillars of the comprehensive and integrated
crime reduction strategy adopted by the Gauteng Provincial Government.

These include:
* improving the quality of policing
* promoting effective social crime prevention initiatives
* strengthening institutional arrangements to better understand and respond to
crime in an integrated manner
* encourage community participation in crime reduction.

He further noted that more satellite centres needed to be established
throughout the province so that every citizen could have access these services.
Cachalia emphasised that all the victims of criminal activities must receive
professional help so that they deal with the trauma of being victimised through
Victim Empowerment Centres.

"We can not only rely on Ikhayalethemba Empowerment Centre in Braamfontein,
in this financial year we have budgeted to have Victim Empowerment Centre (VEC)
across the province," he said.

He added that his department was working on a plan to improve service
delivery and be able to detect fraud and corruption in various parts of the
province.

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Gauteng Provincial Government
28 November 2007
Source: SAPA

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