Africa-Press – South-Africa. Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has demanded that Police Minister Bheki Cele implements the recommendations in the provincial government’s latest policing needs and priorities report.
Last week, during a Cabinet lekgotla in Pretoria, Winde handed over the provincial policing needs and priorities (PNP) report for the 2021-’22 financial year to Cele. The Western Cape Police Oversight and Community Safety Ministry compiled the report.
“I hope the minister will take the time to study the report and seriously consider its contents and urgently implement its recommendations,” Winde said.
Cele says Western Cape govt’s demand for devolution of police powers is just ‘a lot of noise’
The PNP is compiled annually to help the provincial government and South African Police Service (SAPS) identify and address challenges.
“Not only is the report a legislative responsibility of my department, but it also assists with ensuring we are able to alert the SAPS as to what the actual needs are in their domain,” said Western Cape Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen.
The ministry said it found skewed policing resource allocation, especially in poorer neighbourhoods, and that gender-based violence (GBV), substance abuse and gangsterism remained among the most serious issues plaguing Western Cape communities.
The provincial government said closer collaboration between the police and other law enforcement entities, such as the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan – an initiative of the Western Cape government and the City of Cape Town – underpinned all these recommendations, along with basing crime-fighting strategies on data and evidence.
“As the provincial government and the City, and our other crime-fighting partners, we are doing everything possible to make communities safer and give back citizens their dignity and hope,” Winde said.
Allen said the report provided the SAPS with factual information so that it would be able to deploy resources where and how they were required.
He said:
The DA-led provincial government has been pushing for the devolution of policing powers.
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Winde previously told News24 devolving policing powers to the Western Cape government was a crucial step in decisively tackling the high crime rate in the region.
Cele’s spokesperson, Lirandzu Themba, told News24 she was yet to confirm that the report had been handed over.
“But needless to say, all documents exchanged at this particular Cabinet engagement are processed through the correct channels of the SAPS and the ministry and responded to accordingly,” she said.
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