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Speaking Notes by the Minister of Police: National Summit on crime and violence prevention: 13 September 2018

Speaking Notes by the Minister Of Police
General Bheki Cele
National Summit on crime and violence prevention
Thursday 13 September 2018
Birchwood Conference Centre
Gauteng

Programme Director;
Minister of Social Development Susan Shabangu
Deputy Minister Cooperative Governance Traditional Affairs Andries Nel
The National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Sitole
Deputy National Commissioners
Provincial Commissioners
Senior Officers
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen

Our gathering today, is a symbolic gesture of how serious we are about the integrated, collaborative nature we envisage in terms of policing going forward. Under the theme “building safer communities through an integrated, developmental approach to violence and crime prevention”.

On Tuesday the 11th of September 2018 we released the not so good-looking annual crime stats for April 2017 to March 2018. Indeed we urgently as the South African Police Service need to be seen doing something about the crime rate in our country. The National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 articulates, among others, a clear vision for building safer communities acknowledging the need to promote safety using an integrated approach.

The 2016 White Paper on Safety and Security provides substance and policy direction to achieving this vision, particularly with respect to Building Safer Communities. It emphasises the need for an integrated approach to safety and violence prevention, and provides an overarching framework in this regard.

The White Paper highlights the need for integration, collaboration and cooperation at all levels, as a critical part of the process of building safer communities. The successful implementation of the policy will require different spheres of Government to work together and contribute to the implementation of the White Paper from within their respective mandates. It will also require a ‘whole of society’ approach involving a multiplicity of stakeholders across all levels.

To achieve this, respective government departments, at all spheres of government and institutions will need to align and amend existing strategies and plans to address how they will contribute to achieving the desired goals of the White Paper. These respective plans will be coordinated and monitored through an integrated strategy, which provides a framework for the implementation of the White Paper. The aim is to set out activities and timeframes for respective departments and spheres of government; clarify the role of civil society and private sector; and assist in building meaningful partnerships with communities.

On behalf of the SAPS, we are looking forward to engaging constructively with all our stakeholders on the important matters that will form part of our discussions over the next two days. We urge communities, political parties, cluster departments, private sector, civil society and the entire government to work with police and walk with us in the fight against crime. An integrated framework has been developed to provide for the implementation of the White Paper. The primary purpose of the framework is to set key parameters for implementation and to operationalise the policy intent contained in the White Paper. The focus of the framework is aligned to the White Paper and addresses crime and violence prevention. The White Paper recognizes the need for complementary interventions addressing socioeconomic factors including poverty, inequality, unemployment, social welfare, health and education; the effectiveness of the State; and broader state security, which are addressed in other policy instruments.

During the 2018 State of the Nation Address, his Excellency Honorable President of South Africa, Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa emphasized the need to improve the quality of life of all South Africans by intensifying our efforts to tackle crime and build safer communities. He further highlighted the need to gain the trust of communities and secure their full involvement in the fight against crime. This points to the commitment of the President in driving a safety agenda as part of the broader goal to provide a better life for all citizens.

This crime prevention summit is to develop consensus on the role of government, civil society, the private sector and communities in community safety. To also further facilitate the establishment of institutional mechanisms in support of the effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the White paper and to build networks, and encourage collaboration and the co-production of community safety initiatives.

I trust that this summit will set a high mark for future engagements on the subject matter. I am certain that each one present, will play an important role in ensuring that we leave here having achieved our intended goals and vision.

Recently we announced our historic partnership with the Premier Soccer League (PSL) that will play a strategic role in crime prevention more especially among the youth, football has a vital role to play in assisting the SAPS to address some of the challenges.

The youth remains one of our greatest assets as the change-makers and innovators of our country. As we continue to find ways of engaging young people in our programmes to develop their full potential, not only for their own sake, but for the sake of the entire country. The mobilisation of young people and communities in the fight against crime is one of the SAPS’ strategic objectives and demands of the SAPS to intensify its interaction and consultation with various youth formations and all other stakeholders to ensure we win the war against crime.

In conclusion may this summit be a tremendous success that will serve as a building block in bringing us closer to the shared vision of a safer South Africa for all.

I thank you.




 
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