Committee concerned about high crime levels
THE standing committee on community safety in the Western Cape legislature has scrutinised interventions to reduce the high levels of violent crime, highlighted by the recent shooting of several minors on the Cape Flats.
Yesterday, the committee invited the police, its Anti-Gang Unit, the City's law enforcement agency, and the Department of Community Safety (DOCS) to brief it on measures to curb the surge in violent crime in the province, and challenges hindering efforts to reduce crime.
Acting provincial police commissioner Thembisile Patekile said gang-related incidents occurred mostly in the metropole.
Patekile said at some stations, they had noted there had been a decline in such incidents. "However, as we move to different (areas), it pops up, and then we see people killed, like what has happened in Mfuleni this week, where six people were shot and killed in three separate shootings.”
Officers had responded aggressively to those crimes.
Committee chairperson Reagan Allen said they expected Patekile to honour his commitment to bring stability to the police in the province.
The City's law enforcement director, Robbie Roberts, said the metropole had experienced high levels of serious and violent crimes relating to gang activities. He said those crimes involved drugs, the illegal posssession of firearms and ammunition, and included armed robberies, murders and attempted murders.
"The ongoing ‘turf wars’ lead to innocent community members being caught in the cross-fire, injured or killed and this has led to a negative perception in the media, in terms of policing in these areas," said Roberts.
ANC provincial spokesperson for community safety, Mesuli Kama, urged the DOCS to focus on improving infrastructure in the affected areas, such as the installation of proper lighting and CCTV cameras, rather "than wasting time on using government resources to campaign for a provincial police force".
The DOCS's chief director Yashina Pillay said they have been working closely with the police in fighting gangsterism in the province.