Anti-crime council focuses on restoring hope and peace
KwaZulu-Natal’s rampant crime rate is currently under the spotlight at the Department of Public Works' offices in Mayville where the provincial leadership, law enforcement and other crime fighting structures are gathered to find a way forward in protecting the innocent, restoring justice, and rebuilding confidence for the women and men in blue in our communities.
A TWO-DAY Provincial Council Against Crime strategic planning session is underway in Mayville, where the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Thamsanqa Ntuli and the police provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi aim to find a solution to province’s crime crisis.
“On Tuesday this week, we woke to the news of a cash-in-transit heist which took place on the N2 – between the Higginson Highway and Queensburgh off-ramps. Unfortunately, one woman lost her life when the criminals shot at a minibus taxi which was caught in the ensuing chaos. This is just one example which shows that the criminals are becoming daring as the day progresses,” said Ntuli while he urged for more community dialogue on KZN’s rampant crime.
Ntuli said that on his recent tour of KZN, and from engagements with community members, there were clear signs of crime fatigue gripping the province with criminals becoming more daring. “Throughout these engagements, the outcry has been one, people are complaining that crime is suffocating them, and this points to one direction, the urgent need to decisively deal with crime in the province to inspire hope. The people of KZN are becoming hopeless and crime has been identified as one of the things that is contributing to the despair.”
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He called on communities to work together with police to eradicate crime in the province. “Our women and men in blue continue to do commendable work within the province, hence we will focus on strengthening our law enforcement agencies, enhancing the capacity of local safety structures, increasing community engagement, and ensuring that our youth are empowered to be agents of change rather than victims or perpetrators of crime.
“As we move forward, we must also remain firm in our resolve to build trust between the police and the communities they serve. It is only through mutual respect, dialogue, and accountability that we will restore faith in our justice system and break the cycle of crime. Let us keep in mind the real lives that are affected by crime – the families who have lost loved ones, the businesses that have suffered, and the children growing up in unsafe environments,” added Ntuli.
The summit concludes on Sunday, February 9.
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