Fight crime together

ONE truly hopes that the new Minister of Police, Nkosinathi Nhleko, meant it when he recently stated that employee unions, academics and researchers will be consulted in the ongoing transformation of the SAPS.

Safety is a basic human need. Crime cannot be prevented without community involvement, which demands trust. Any crime prevention strategy requires integration with other aspects of local development, including local economic development.

Crime prevention programmes should be initiated at community level, since crime combating involves responding to a few priority problems, using multi-agency approaches.

The police need help from external professionals, since crime prevention is defined by its consequences and not by its intentions. The SAPS has a public obligation to integrate their training and crime prevention strategies with other professions. One example is local architects who can assist the police with Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED).

While economic growth and development are crucial in addressing the factors which lead to crime, poorly managed development can itself contribute to increased crime rates. CPTED has been identified by government as a national priority programme as noted in the National Crime Prevention Strategy (1996). One of its objectives was to establish a comprehensive policy framework which enables the government to address crime in a co-ordinated and focused manner which draws on the resources of all government agencies, as well as civil society.

The saying “many hands, less work” could be part true when strategising crime prevention programmes where community members from all professions collaborate in discussions to combat current threats in their local community. Preventing crime consists of continual proactive strategic changes to address crime generators.

Change is not only about the implementation of new systems and processes, but about people within this environment – how they behave, how they think, how they interact with others and their perceptions and their ability to handle the challenging environment.

Public safety enhances an environment of caring and growth where communities value, respect and love one another.